Time and Time Again
by AGhostlyWriter
Summary: First came Kuyo, then the monstrels, followed by the Anti-schoolers, Fairy Tale and Alucard. Not to mention all the other other factions Tsukune had to fight up to this point. He suffered enough. So why is it that Akasha, before self-destructing, saw fit to send him back in time to the year 2006 where angry human villagers were about to murder two young vampires? Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Once More, With Changes.**

**Dear readers, I would like to ask for a favor. My goal here in Fanfiction is to hone my ability to write and enrich my sometimes lacking vocabulary. As such, if there is any mistake, lacking in description, or odd phrasing, that you happen to come across in any of my stories, I beg you to immediately write me a review or PM me to inform me of the error. It is my hope that I will be able to improve my writing and bring you fine people more compelling stories as a result. **

* * *

_"I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side."_

_― Bram Stoker, Dracula  
_

* * *

"_Who the hell are you?_" A voice yelled from somewhere in the assembled mob of angry villagers.

Tsukune stared at them blankly, he would have been resisting the urge to ask them that very same question were he capable of understanding them.

"_Oi! Move outta the way, punk!_"

The boy was completely lost. The last thing he remembered was running towards Akasha as the four elder monsters prepared to disintegrate themselves. There was the sickening smell of charred skin and a pile of ash where both the Headmaster and Tohofuhai previously stood.

Whatever happened, Akasha was certainly not pleased. She shouted something at Alucard that Tsukune did not quite catch. The would-be destroyer of Humanity retorted. Akasha turned back to the vampire that had leaped up to where she towered over the wreckage of the torn city. She grabbed him by the shoulders, implored his forgiveness and kissed him.

When their lips parted, he felt a strange warmth course through his body. By the time he turned his attention away from this foreign sensation and back to the matter at hand, he found himself falling backwards in abysmal darkness. He kept on falling, unable to move or make a sound as his eyes were met with nothing but the endless void that surrounded him. He tried to think, to comprehend what was taking place.

Alas, his mind was sluggish and slow. His brain reeled as the same thoughts looped again and again into his head: Where was he? Where was Moka? What was going on?

Finally, after what seemed like an endless fall, he landed on solid ground with a grand _thump_. The shock of the contact, as well as the subsequent pain, were enough to return all of Tsukune's faculties back to their master. By the time he got up and dusted himself off, he was met with the incredulous looks of a good old fashion lynch mob who bluntly inquired the student's identity.

Tsukune heard a whimper behind him and noticed two frightened children. It seemed they were the reason the villagers were up in arms.

"_Look at his face!_" A baritone voice announced.

"_He's one of them!_" An elder woman cried out in the crowd.

"_Monster!_" Another one yelled.

The ex-ghoul felt the great amount of animosity directed at him, the one part he did not require a translator to understand. These peasants were about to murder him alongside two innocent little girls. Faced with that chilling reality, the boy did the first thing that came to his mind: he grabbed the two little ones and made a run for it.

When the humans finally gathered enough of their wits to make chase, the trio had vanished in the vast expanse that was the Chinese countryside. Hidden under the nighttime cover that Nature provided, they ran through grassy hills and patches of trees for several minutes before stopping at a safe distance from the hostile village.

"_Thank you._" The silver-haired girl squeaked after checking to make sure no one had followed them this far. She could have been no more than eight years of age. The other girl, black hair, appeared to be a bit older than her friend. Were Tsukune to guess, he would have imagined her to be around the age of twelve.

The younger child, dressed in a traditional Chinese ensemble made up of a white jacket and black pants, bore a fleeting resemblance to Moka. The older one, dressed entirely in black, wore a cheongsam. The duo possessed the same alabaster skin and red pupils, an obvious indication of their vampiric nature. They flashed a toothy smile at their protector, revealing another feature of their monstrous ancestry.

_Wait._ Tsukune silently observed the black-haired girl for a moment. The face, the mannerisms, they all reminded him of someone else. The realization was almost enough to jolt the newly made vampire into a second run. Only this time, it would have been to get away from the girl who defied all logic. Incredibly, he was faced with a young Akua Shuzen.

The boy was alarmed, looking left and right, trying to find some clue that might explain how such an impossible thing occurred.

"_Is something the matter, sir_?" The young Akua asked her rescuer with genuine concern, a far cry from the attitude he knew her grown self to have.

"Umm..." The boy hesitated, trying his best not to act suspicious. This was a conversation that became more and more awkward by the second, and not simply due to a gap in linguistics.

A flash of genius hit the black-haired vampire. "Are you by any chance Japanese?" She inquired, pleased to notice that the teenager was finally appearing to understand her.

"Ah… Yeah. Actually I am. Ha ha ha." He nervously laughed as his hand instinctively went to rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, so that's what it was." Jasmine, or at least that was whom Tsukune surmised the younger girl was, exclaimed in relief. She feared she had offended the elder vampire in some way judging from the grave expression the Yokai student sported just a second ago.

"Thank you for saving us." Akua retorted. "If you hadn't shown up when you did..." She shuddered at the prospect.

"Don't worry about it. I was glad to help."

"But how did you appear out of nowhere like that?"

Jasmine's question was problematic for the young Yokai student. He was starting to piece together what Akasha had done. However, the more he pondered his next move, the more he realized that it might be best to keep some details secret for the time being. Better feign ignorance, for now at least.

"No clue," he lied, "I just sorta ended up there, y'know?"

Neither seemed convinced with his explanation but they decided not to press the issue. They were far too grateful for the rescue to want to put the teenage monster in an uncomfortable position.

"What's your name?" Akua's attempt at changing the subject were quite welcome.

"Tsukune." He answered, still unsure how much he should divulge. Staying silent would have been worse. Besides, he reasoned, if he was right about where he ended up, the eldest Shuzen girl would have several years to forget the name before they were fated to meet again.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Akua, this is Jasmine." She announced, pointing to her friend that stood beside her.

"Happy to make your acquaintance."

The courteous tone, though respectful, was extremely uncomfortable for the fledgling monster. He was not use to hearing people speak to him with such deference, nor did he feel at ease about who the well behaved speaker was. It had barely been more than a few minutes since adult Akua tried to slice him open with her hands. That sort of trauma stays with you for a while.

"You two don't have to be so formal. We're all friends here, right?" Another round of nervous laughter passed his lips.

The two vampire maidens looked at each other, then back at Tsukune apologetically. "Sorry, we haven't really met a lot of other vampires other than relatives."

_Vampire? _

Alucard's taunting and the Headmaster's confession rung in the boy's head. He recalled being told that he was no longer human. He had set that knowledge aside during the battle but, now that he was in no immediate danger, he allowed the words to fully sink in.

He lifted his arm up and searched for the Holy Lock he grew accustomed to having wrapped around his right arm. It was no longer there. It was of no real importance; however, it did feel strange to no longer possess it. As for the news of his grand change, he had long ago made peace with the idea of becoming a monster. Being a vampire was a step up from being a creature incapable of sentience, so he was not particularly inclined to complain.

Admittedly, he was a bit curious over how his appearance changed. Had his pupils changed colors? Was his hair still the same shade of black it was after Tohofuhai modified his body? These questions, like many others, would have to be answered at a later date.

When he turned his attention back to the two, he noticed they were in the middle of a heated argument, all of which was in Mandarin. They must have decided it would not be wise to interrupt the elder vampire while he daydreamed. Thus, they moved on to other matters.

"_I don't care. That is where I want to live!_"

"_You can't be serious. Those no good humans were going to kill us._"

"_I don't care about that. That is where I want to live._"

"_Oh jeez,_ could you help me talk some sense into her?"

The problem was not that Tsukune was unwilling to lend a hand. It was mainly that Tsukune had not understood a word other than that which had been intended for him. Even then, he still had some trouble.

"Aiya?" Tsukune repeated dumbfounded. He heard her say that a lot, but he never knew what it meant.

"She wants to go live with _**humans**_." She practically spat the word. "After they tried to kill us." Her attention turned back to her younger friend. "_How could you even think of it?_"

"_But sister…_"

"She's right." Tsukune gravely stated, much to Jasmine's chagrin. For some reason, she felt like this stranger might sympathize with her pro-human views. "Going back there would be suicidal. Especially now that they're up in arms."

"_You see?_" Akua non-rhetorically scolded.

"However, you also have a point, Jasmine." The four eyes that turned to him in surprise was exactly the sort of reaction he was expecting. "Humans aren't mean. They're simply scared, just like us. The best thing to do is to stay separate for now and work so that we can all one day peacefully coexist with each other."

Jasmine was positively inspired by the insightful pep talk. Akua, not so much. "Humans are cruel and vicious animals!" She screamed. "A human can't think of anyone but itself!"

The comment deeply wounded the Newspaper Club member. It was true that he had heard other monsters make the same claim, yet to see a young child who should be filled with hope spout that same line pained Tsukune greatly. Regardless of what race he may now be a part of, he still felt he was a human, deep down.

"We can talk more about that later. For now, we should think about finding you two a place to stay. Do you have relatives you can go live with?" He inquired, fully aware of what the answer would undoubtedly be.

"I do, in Japan." Akua mentioned. She fidgeted as she spoke. Tsukune imagined it was due to the nervousness she was feeling at the prospect of meeting the Shuzen clan for the first time.

"Perfect. Now, how do we get to Japan from here?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Akasha trembled as the burst of magic passed through her, momentarily causing her to lose her balance. Once the shock had worn off and she was steady enough to stand upright, she let go of the table she had hung on to keep herself from falling.

"Mother, are you alright?" Moka was worried the Shuzen matriarch may be feeling ill. The concerned look was terribly endearing to the centuries old vampire.

"I'm fine. A little dizzy, that's all."

Having alleviated her daughters fears, Akasha watched as Moka turned the corner of the mansion corridor and went to play with her sisters. The First Ancestor was extremely worried. Somehow, somewhere, someone had just used a mind-boggling quantity of magic. What was most troubling was the very reason for which she was attuned to the backlash: The spell bore her mark.

"Impossible," she murmured to herself. An act requiring that much power must have been nothing short of cataclysmic. Even if she were to use all of her abilities, she was certain she would not be powerful enough to replicate a ritual of that magnitude.

She was confronted with a veritable mystery. On one hand, she had suffered the aftershock of magic that bore her signature. Yet she possessed neither the memory of having cast it nor the apparent capacity to match such a phenomenon.

She breathed in deeply and brushed off a bit of dust on her purple Victorian dress. Thinking about it here would do her no good. All she could do was find Issa and tell him immediately, he might be able to shed new light on the enigma.

For some reason, she intuitively knew that it had some connection to the creature in the basement. Hopefully, it was merely paranoia visiting her for a bit. If it were not…

She shuddered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hong Kong. Tsukune was beginning to despise this town with a passion. Hiding in a Miao Family safe house was not exactly helping s to provide with fond memories of the metropolis, either.

As it turned out, his new traveling companions had not lied when they described his newly transformed appearance: Red eyes now replaced the once visible heterochromia whilst his hair became a very light shade of brown, a far cry from the raven color attribute his capillary once held.

This had dampened his first few attempts at walking around in broad daylight. From what he gathered, cosplay was nowhere near as popular in China as it is, or will be, in Japan. Without a proper excuse to explain the strange pigmentation his pupils displayed, people would assume he was not entirely human or on some new, highly illegal, drug. Both scenarios involved the police being alerted on the spot and entailed a very long time spent being interrogated, or tortured, by frightened officials.

Therefore, he was forced to wait until one of Akua's contacts, a Miao agent, sent him some lenses and enough money to last for a few more weeks. The plan was to stay put until a cargo freighter, captained by a Lizardman that owed the Miao a sizable amount of money, came back to Hong Kong and transported the trio to Tokyo, thus paying off the monster captain's debt through services rendered.

Akua must already have been a formidable asset to the Miao for them to be jumping through hoops like this. Of course, it would have been simpler to get a single person to the Japanese archipelago. Unfortunately, sneaking three vampires across airport customs was an almost impossible task, regardless of how much pull a monster crime syndicate had. That signified that they would be ferried by boat, surrounded by the vampire's worst enemy.

The younger monsters were a bit nervous about the idea of being locked away on a ship. If, by some stroke of bad luck, it took on water, that would be the end of them. Tsukune was a little less fearful of the eventuality of drowning. Mainly because he did not remember hearing of a Chinese freighter sinking of the coast of Japan in the year 2006.

June 23rd, 2006. Several newspapers that catered to English speakers working in the city were his primary source of information. His mastery of the English language was touchy at best, true. However, Moka had tutored him extensively in both mathematics and languages. Not all of it stuck, granted, but it was sufficient to get a grasp of the articles' intent. Besides, it was leagues better than staring dumbly at Chinese and asking Akua or Jasmine to translate every other word.

He looked at the date once more. If he subtracted the days he spent running around since he landed in that flower field back in countryside village, he went back exactly seven years.

It was still difficult to imagine that he had time traveled. For what purpose? Why did Akasha send him back? She was willing to sacrifice herself to end Alucard's threat. What made her change her mind? Did the process go wrong? Was there some trickery involved? Had the spell that sent him back been an accidental side effect of the magical blast?

The cause of his temporal misplacement did not truly matter, not anymore. He was given a second chance to make this right. A second chance to prevent Alucard from threatening the world again. A second chance to keep Moka from ever having to suffer the loss of her mother, and the subsequent agonizing years of solitary suffering. A second chance to halt all the bloodshed the war with Fairy Tale ended up costing.

His gaze went between contemplating the nighttime sky through the sole window in the dark, cramped, damp, and colorless safe house and the two sleeping children who were in his charge. He already changed the future by saving Jasmine's life. Without him there to temper her desire to go home, she would have left to try and make peace with the villagers. He knew all too well how that story would have ended, had ended in the future.

Reality was not yet ripped to shreds because of it. Odds were that a few more twists to the continuum would not destroy the world, either. Hence, all he required was an opening… an opportunity.

The two were on their way to the Shuzen household. Akua had already notified her father of her desire to come live with him by means of a third party liaison inside the crime syndicate that employed her, as well as elaborated on the recent events that led her to send out the unexpected request. As expected, Issa Shuzen consented instantaneously, or so the envoy relayed.

The messenger did have one more bit of information to bring to the trio's attention: Tsukune was cordially invited to continue to watch over Akua and Jasmine as he so diligently had up to this point.

That was precisely the sort of opportunity the boy yearned for.

Allowing him safe access into the vampire compound would undoubtedly put him face to face with the elder Shuzens. Among them, the pink haired, centuries old, monster who was responsible for the bending of Time.

Convincing them to listen to him might prove the most troublesome part. Rescuing the patriarch's daughter was only going to earn so much of a chance before he was kicked out for being insane, or murdered for attempting to play a cruel joke on the most influential vampire in the Eastern Hemisphere.

He remained undeterred in his self-imposed task. He would have the entirety of the trip to come up with a suitable argument.

In the meantime, there was still the small problem of surviving until he got there. Subsisting was difficult, especially with the newly acquired craving for blood that hounded him. His mind, if not focused, would wander back to the crimson liquid his parched throat cried out for.

How many times did he catch himself idly dreaming about assaulting a passerby in a dark alleyway and gorging himself on their life force? For all the advantages his nature granted him, the cost was beginning to weigh heavily on his mind.

He grabbed a plain grey hoodie, left the chair he occupied, and marched out of the safe house as he pulled on the concealing article of clothing.

With the new contacts in his eyes and the hood over his head, he made his way to the nearest store.

The shop was deserted, save for the lone employee behind the register and a guard at the front. The guard obviously appeared more than a little suspicious of the hooded individual, but let him through nonetheless. The small tip Tsukune left the guard was extremely helpful to easing a potentially awkward situation.

It was a high end clothing store in the middle of a busy hub of men and women in suits who scurried about at all hours of the day, and that included the very late, or very early, hour of the day Tsukune chose to visit. It was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and specialized in suits and dresses that most high school students could not even phantom buying.

Luckily, the allowance the Shuzens sent was vast to say the least. It was meant to last them a few weeks if some unexpected delay was to upset the carefully laid schedule that was planned out. What the boy had trouble understanding was the difference between what he envisioned being an amount of money that lasted for a few weeks, and what they consider such a sum to be. A lot more opulent than what the ex-ghoul was used to.

He was not browsing the rows of suits and hats for himself, he owed Akua and Jasmine some new possessions after they were forced to flee to the city. He tried to rescue some of their belonging before the villagers burnt down the shack they lived in. He was not able to retrieve anything but the most essential of their possessions.

He bought replacements for most of what they lost, save for a black hat and matching coat he was currently trying to find for Akua. While he was at it, he could try and look for something a little more presentable for when he was to escort the children to their new home.

He flipped through the racks when something else peeked his interest. It was not the clothes, nor was it the store clerk who checked his phone every couple of seconds.

It was a sensation Tsukune felt tingle at the top of his spine. An uncomfortable tingle that warned him of impending danger. He could feel a creature of great power approaching, a monster that was not to be trifled with.

The boy reached out to identify the unwelcomed visitor. Whoever it was, they bore no ill intent towards him. Still, he felt he was the one it came to this store to find.

He did not turn his face from the rack, preferring to hide his face from the newcomer. The power was not foreign to the boy, he knew exactly who the monster that approached him was, and it chilled him to the bone that it had taken him so little time to find him.

"Alucard…" Tsukune mumbled under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Man, Of Monster**

****Dear readers, I would like to ask for a favor. My goal here in Fanfiction is to hone my ability to write and enrich my sometimes lacking vocabulary. As such, if there is any mistake, lacking in description, or odd phrasing, that you happen to come across in any of my stories, I beg you to immediately write me a review or PM me to inform me of the error. It is my hope that I will be able to improve my writing and bring you fine people more compelling stories as a result. ****

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"_The world seems full of good men, even if there are monsters in it."_

― _Bram Stoker, Dracula_

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"You have me at a disadvantage," came the amused reply. "You know my name, but I don't know the first thing about you, boy."

Tsukune did not turn around, preferring to keep his eyes fixated on a black blazer. He could feel Alucard's presence. It overwhelmed him, surrounded him and assailed his detections abilities on all sides. Were it not for the sound of the fallen volvoide's voice, Tsukune would never have known where his sworn enemy lurked.

Though he was in a perilous situation, Alucard's words were somewhat comforting. If Alucard did not know his true identity, it was highly likely he did not view him as a threat which, by extension, meant he would be less inclined to summarily execute him in the middle of a nearly empty shop.

"Nobody important," Tsukune calmly retorted as his fingers flipped through the coat hangers on the rack.

"Maybe not, but you're extremely well informed. That might be a problem." He spoke with the utmost tranquility. It almost sounded as if the idea of killing the newly transformed vampire was no more than an afterthought for the creature.

A bead of cold sweat ran down Tsukune's back. The host still laid dormant in the basement of the Shuzen mansion. As long as it existed, the clone that idly discussed the boy's demise was indestructible. He had to buy some time and stave off the confrontation until a more advantageous time.

"Killing me would be more trouble than it's worth." Tsukune tried to match his opponent's nonchalant tone.

"I suppose you're right." The ex-ghoul heard a click, the smell of tobacco followed thereafter. "Besides, since you know so much already. You'd know better than to do something foolish, correct?" Alucard did not wait for an answer before continuing his train of thought. "Anyway, let's brush that aside for now. I came here to thank you for saving the last of my kindred."

So he was here to see Akua, no doubt with the intent of turning her against Mankind. This must have been the moment in time where he used Jasmine's death as a pretext to induct Akua into Fairy Tale. Yet something was off, If memory served, Akua had clearly stated that the deal involved Moka being spared. This must have only been the first of several meetings between the two.

"I did what anyone else would've done."

"Don't diminish your role in her survival… or her friend's." The small moment of hesitation the Wallachian prince had before he mentioned Jasmine was quite telling of the importance he attached to the sliver haired vampire's existence. He almost sounded regretful that she did not perish. It was painfully obvious that his calculations involved her dying at the hands of the villagers.

Tsukune wondered how long Alucard had spent watching his granddaughter. Could it be that he had a hand in Jasmine's death the first time around? "You've done me a great service. And if you'll do me one last favor, I'll see to it that you're well rewarded for your work."

"I'm listening."

Playing the part of a greedy egotist did not sit well with the boy. However, it was the only way he envisioned himself being left breathing after this encounter.

"Make sure they arrive safely at their destination. Once you do, you'll meet a Mrs. Gyokuro Shuzen who'll have your payment. If she asks who sent you, you are _**not**_, and I must insist, _**not**_ to mention my name. Tell her it was the Masked King who contracted you. Understand?"

Tipping off Gyokuro was the last thing Tsukune would have done. He did not need any verbal encouragement to guarantee he kept the leader of Fairy Tale in the dark. Akasha and Issa Shuzen, on the other hand…

"Completely."

"Excellent, you might have a bright future ahead of you, after all."

He felt a hand pat his shoulder. When the impression of said hand faded, the oppressive aura had vanished. Its master had gone and left one of its most dangerous, albeit unknown, future enemies alive.

With the unexpected meeting concluded, Tsukune went about purchasing the items he had sought out in the first place. The clerk barely paid any heed to the hooded person before him, scanning the articles of clothing that were brought to his register and keeping his eyes fixated on the screen in front of him.

His rather large frame, completed with a pimpled face and dirt ridden glasses, along with the grotesque overalls and snot leaking out of his nose, did little to complement the bored adolescent who boxed up Tsukune's new affects without the slightest bit of curtesy towards his vampiric customer.

He grabbed the bills the Yokai student left on his counter, stuffed them into the register, and could not even be bothered to count the sum to make sure it was all there. Certainly, someone found their job to be anything save enthusiastic.

The steps creaked under his feet. Going up and down the old stairs that led to the top of the building tended to be a relaxing moment for Tsukune. It was the first place where he could remove the uncomfortable lenses from his eyes and not fear being discovered. The complex had been abandoned for several years. Considered to be in too dilapidated a state to be livable, it was rare for humans to ever venture out here. Still, he could not help looking over his shoulder as he went up. He felt an eerie sensation tugging at his instincts.

He stopped, breathed in deeply, and sent about trying to locate the responsible individual. His aura went out in waves, a veritable sonar of energy, traveling through air and solid matter alike, waiting for the slightest resonance of power to respond and give away the enemy's presence.

_Ping. _He felt it, a monster was nearby, right above him. He looked up and resisted the urge to berate himself for not having anticipated this. He could see Akua's head and torso protruding from the ceiling. Of all the things to forget about a seasoned assassin, it had to be her ability to pass through solid objects.

Her cheeks went red as she realized her cover was blown. Embarrassed, her first reaction was to try a last minute retreat. Unfortunately, the hasty attempt broke her concentration and, rather than disappearing up into the ceiling, her entire body phased through the concrete and sent her falling onto the floor below. When she dusted herself off and got to her feet, she was face to face with the one she stalked, apparently unimpressed with her display of Tohofuhai's technique.

She was about to spout some half thought out explanation to justify her supernatural capacity to pass through matter when he raised his hand to stop her.

"You don't have to say anything," he reassured her.

"Really?" She questioned, "You're not even a little curious how I did that?"

"Tohofuhai's Dimensional Sword, right?"

"H- How did you know that!?" The look of shock on her childish face was priceless to the older vampire. Seldom had he had a chance to laugh in recent days, and he was thoroughly enjoying this opportunity.

"A friend tried to kill me with it once," he stated simply.

"Doesn't sound like much of a friend to me," she replied, somewhat curious as to what kind of psychotic company he kept as friends.

"Nah, she had her reasons," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "And she was a little misguided at the time."

"You sure are a forgiving guy," she noted with a furrowed brow.

"You think so?" He joked, tentatively trying to play light of a situation that nearly left him, and all his friends, dead.

"_Oh jeez, _I've seen monks with worse tempers."

Her reproach was fueled by genuine concern. The way Tsukune carried himself was a sure sign that he endured his fair share of trying moments during his young life. Despite that, he still somehow retained a happy-go-lucky attitude about it. Akua reasoned that it was that same humorous nature that would be his undoing. The poor sap needed someone to keep an eye out for him if he was to last.

He smiled, laughed and rubbed his neck as he so often did. Far too lighthearted for his own good. Would he even survive without her to watch his back? It always amazed her how close Jasmine and Tsukune could be in character. Neither one truly comprehended how the world worked, both so blissfully unaware and innocent. She felt compelled to protect that spark of naivety with all of her might.

His upbeat attitude slowly darkened as the laughter died down. She could tell he was bothered by something.

"Wait. Why aren't you upstairs?" He inquired, suspicious of her motives for leaving the safe house.

"I couldn't sleep," she lied. He did not need to know what just happened, it would only upset him.

The boy sighed. "You met him, huh?"

"Who?" She unconvincingly tried to play dumb.

"You know who I mean."

For the first time since she met Tsukune Aono, she saw a heart wrenching change in his demeanor. The once jovial disposition turned somber and dark. His eyes, usually sparkling with life, turned tired and aged as the light in his eyes dimmed. The young face wrinkled itself in deep and depressing thoughts. This was the Tsukune Aono that lurked beneath the surface, this was the true form of an unfortunate soul that had known suffering.

"What did he tell you?" He continued without the least bit trace of anger in his voice, only tired resignation. "Humans are all bad? They should be exterminated?"

She did not speak, only nodded.

"Did you accept his offer?"

"I said I had to think about it," she mumbled defensively.

"You're considering it?"

"Of course I am! Those rotten, no good beasts would've killed given half a chance! Why do you keep giving them a free pass!?" She lashed out at the boy who still held on to the grocery bags.

Tsukune never disguised his great sympathy for Humanity. Whenever Akua or Jasmine questioned him, it always went back to his dream of cohabitation between monsters and humans. The young vampiress did her best not to openly argue with him over that point, but it seemed it was a topic they could no longer avoid.

She expected him to start yelling. To scold her for siding with a being hell-bent on wiping out all humans…

He never raised his voice.

He did not even show a hint of anger directed towards her.

All she did see was a sad smile cross his face as a mixture of tender and bitter memories flashed before his eyes. He concluded that hiding the truth was not any way to treat a friend.

He pointed towards the top of the stairs and calmly asked, "Do you want to have this conversation here?"

Realizing what he was alluding to, she moved towards the lower floors in earnest. Jasmine was still fast asleep, it would not be fair to force her into such an argument.

The two walked side by side through the darkened side streets of the city, careful to avoid being spotted by cameras or people. After finding a remote park that was closed for the night, they sat down on a bench by the side of the grand dirt path that crossed the verdant location and began to talk.

"I wasn't always like this," Tsukune confessed, pausing to think of how he should tell her.

"You weren't always this trusting?" She speculated, in vain.

"No- Well… Maybe, I'm not sure. I wasn't talking about my personality."

"You weren't always this powerful?" She attempted to deduce once more.

Akua reasoned that was common to all vampires. Each member of the species went through a time before maturity where the powers that laid dormant within them awoke. Before that, they may as well be considered weaklings. From a personal standpoint, she could not vouch for ever having felt that. Akua had been blessed with the good fortune of having her powers mature earlier than the norm, which was around the age of ten or eleven.

"I guess you could say that… Look, what I'm trying to say is I wasn't born a vampire."

She tried to comprehend. Not born a vampire? Was he breed in a laboratory? Preposterous, monsters could not be manufactured, they had to be born or…

_Turned?_

"What are you trying to say?"

Her kind was coming up with a very disturbing hypothesis, and she viewed it as so insulting she did not dare speak out loud for fear of offending the older monster. She saw him try to come up with a way to soften the blow, nevertheless; her heart sank as she heard him give voice to her worst fears.

"I was human."

Though her heart sank, her mind did not process the news. Rather, it dismissed as absurd, an impossible case that was incredibly droll. The involuntary laughter bubbled up out of her and erupted loudly, taking Tsukune aback by the unexpected response.

"It's a joke," she exclaimed as she dried a tear that streamed down her cheek, "it has to be!"

"Akua…" He whispered as he witnessed her delicate frame hunched over itself, her laughter died down as the tears flowed unhindered.

"No, I won't believe it… I can't," she murmured to herself.

The man that had been so kind to her, the one who saved her and cared for her, was a human? It was a lie, no human could as thoughtless as he was. No human could inspire the kind of love and respect the boy incited within her, it had to be a lie.

She felt his hand rest on her shoulder. Her eyes, blurred by the incessant downpour, gazed up and perceived his youthful face which conveyed two separate emotions: deepest regret and calm resolution.

The two crimson eyes locked with each other in intimate understanding, quashing away all sorrow in her heart. Whatever Tsukune might have been in the past, he was now a member of her own race. Proof enough in and of itself that he was too good remain a filthy brute of a human.

Not the conclusion the boy wished Akua would arrive to, but it would suffice for now. She disdained Humanity as a whole, yet; she could now admit to exceptional people being brought up from among their ranks. A small victory in winning her heart and mind over to the Cause; a victory regardless.

They went silent, contemplating the night sky as the distant moon slashed through the brazen lights of buildings. The smaller stars did not follow, too weak in their capacity to overwhelm human creations. The strongest of lights did still persevere, though, that was all that Akua cared about.

The held each other as close family did. Not related by blood, they felt in that moment as close as kin. Siblings not by birth, but by Fortune; capricious mistress of wanderers and the unlucky. It was a peaceful reprieve for the young assassin, a moment of timeless bliss. Finally, her thoughts cleared, the sobs in her throat died down, her eyes dried: she was happy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two returned to find Jasmine fast asleep, just as they left her. Akua sat down on her futon and examined her newest acquisitions, mentally noting the similarities between her new wears and what she so pitifully lost to the villagers. They were, for all intents and purposes, identical to the original pieces. The hat, dark as the night that surrounded them, was contrasted with a white bow that entangled the bowler with its silky fabric.

The coat was of the same style and contrast. White linings, buttons and bow set upon a black base. Akua's new prized item was made of three parts in total: the original jacket, added cloth that spanned the length between the collar and the bottom of the shoulders, and a large hood sown into the back of the neckline.

Tsukune entertained himself by sitting down on his usual chair and go about the same occupation he always did, watch the outside world and the changing dynamic of the ever-alert city. His mind went over today's events, nitpicked at every memorable moment, and studied how he could have been more prepared. He came to this singular conclusion: He was almost discovered by the enemy, he needed to maintain anonymity.

On their way back from the heart to heart in the park, an object caught his eye. An unassuming item, a frowning carnival mask, golden with few details other than a single white tear going down the side mask. It was an odd purchase, as was the dark coat he bought to disguise the rest of his features, he thought.

Despite that, as he watched the sirens of a passing police car, he felt justified in the bout of eccentric spending.


	3. Chapter 3

****Crossing The Seas, Not Braving The Wilds. ****

****Dear readers, I would like to ask for a favor. My goal here in Fanfiction is to hone my ability to write and enrich my sometimes lacking vocabulary. As such, if there is any mistake, lacking in description, or odd phrasing, that you happen to come across in any of my stories, I beg you to immediately write me a review or PM me to inform me of the error. It is my hope that I will be able to improve my writing and bring you fine people more compelling stories as a result. ****

****Additionally, I would like to give special thanks to the two reviewers who took the time to point out a few mistakes here and there, I deeply appreciate the nitpicking. ****

* * *

"_It seems to me that the further East you go the more unpunctual are the trains. What ought they to be in China?" _

― _Bram Stoker, Dracula_

* * *

Shocking to the sensibilities of to the seasoned adversary of luck-bound villains, the captain and his freighter made port at the time given by a boastful Miao contact. Tsukune had expected some manner of delay or catastrophe to hinder his efforts to cross the China Sea. So far, no trace of ever such a thing in view, yet he still was suspicious.

A shadow hung over them, a premonition of some dark force on its way. It was telling, it forewarned that Death followed swiftly behind them, only ever a single step out of reach. Jasmine was unaware of any such danger, content to follow her big sister and guardian to corners of the Earth unknown. Akua wearily watched and waited, fully conscious of the dreadful aura that stuck to them, ready to strike out and murder whomever be the source. Tsukune's face, concealed beneath the novelty mask, remained neutral and expectant. From today onward, the amount of time he would spend in the company of others would rise exponentially. It was essential that he stayed anonymous, lest some unsavory member of Fairy Tale, future or current, commit his identity to memory.

"Right on ssschedule," came the hissing voice of a middle-aged man in a yellow raincoat.

He stepped onto the dock, leaving behind his pride and joy, the Slivering Lady, to meet those he was ordered to ferry. A monster posing as a human, his grotesquely large hands, sharp nails and forked tongue that produced a lingering on the consonant were all that might make a careful observer question the captain's origins. Fortunately, the sea-faring monster did not often deal with humans directly. The crew was of the same tribe, the workers at the port who dealt extensively with him were also monsters, and the occasional special request never came from any human crime syndicate.

That was not to say he could not pass for a human amidst a crowd of them. Pinkish skin, large cheeks and bulging fat that crept up to form a second chin of sorts. He was the archetype of the overweight sailor. He appeared as jovial as a Buddha, his large smile stretching from ear to ear. Whether it was genuine happiness or some leftover hunter-like attitude that contorted his face in such a manner, Tsukune could not begin to guess; the captain's grin had a predatory property to it.

"Ssso, yer the vampiresss they told me to take with me," he glanced over the trio of superior monsters with a critical eye and set his gaze on the oldest one. "What'sss with the gettup?"

Tsukune did not respond, he stared back into the lizardman's eyes with intent. A touch of his aura seeped out of his form and enveloped the sailor in question. The monster immediately averted his eyes and apologized for his disrespectful tone. "Thing isss, we don't often get to carry your lot around."

"Oh, we understand," Akua intervened to ease tensions, as they had rehearsed, "It's just that my friend can't really talk."

A glimmer of comprehension flashed through the monster captain's eyes. He must have lost his tongue during a fight with another vampire. Those creatures were vicious to say the least, it was not that much of a stretch to imagine such a fight having taken place. From what the tribes said of vampires, it was amazing they showed this much restraint when other monsters were present.

"I ssse. Now, 'bout the trip," his eyes ventured back to their owner's pride and joy, "you'll be back on ground in two or three daysss, if we don't get much trouble from cussstomsss. They've been a pain lately. Not lettin' no ssstrange thingsss happenin'. Poor sssailor gotta make a livin', though." He grumbled as stories of other clandestine stowaways surfaced back into his mind.

The veteran captain never erred as did others who were called upon to bring monsters back and forth between the mainland and Japan, regardless; word of mouth and rumors had a way of wedging themselves in the collective skulls of monster captains, every bit as superstitious as their non-supernaturally linked brethren.

Unwelcomed news, but not completely unforeseen. Tsukune was willing to bet there would be some sort of obstacle in his way, there always was. He felt a force latching itself around his hand, Jasmine seemed worried. He followed to trail to what it was her eyes fixated with fear, the vast open water that laid before them. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, to let her know that it would be alright. She appeared to have received the message and softened her hold a bit. She was still quite tense, but she hid it well.

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it," the captain laughed, "ssshe'sss a sssturdy lady, ssshe'll get ya home sssafe 'n' sssound."

Without a word, Akua quickly grabbed onto Jasmine and dragged her onboard the boat. Apparently, she wanted to be done with the ordeal just as badly as Jasmine did. That left only the bribed monster and the masked vampire back on land. The former feeling a bit intimidated by the silent vampire not five feet away from him. He rushed onto his ship and yelled out some orders to his crew. Tsukune swiftly made his way up the ramp and past the deck, the sooner he got away from the crew, the better he would feel.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Was doing that really necessary?"

Akua was far too absorbed by the sight of the coast vanishing in the morning fog to turn towards the vampire that sat next to her. She could feel a touch of regret mingled within Tsukune's words, to which she felt almost obligated to sigh. That same spark of naivety she valued so much was becoming a great burden to manage at this rate.

"You're the one who wanted to stay anonymous." She reminded him, as does a mother pestering her child over a lesson they should have learned time and time again. "Well, mission accomplished. You won't so much as hear a peep from him you don't want to hear." She paused as the stink of fear the monsters above deck exuded seeped into the room through the wooden boards and metallic hull. "Or from the others on board."

"Yeah, but it really felt like he was about to make a run for it,' the boy lamented.

"Happens all the time when we're around. He'll get over it."

"But, sister, I think Tsukune's right." Came the high-pitch squeak from behind them. Jasmine was lazily lying down on one of the beds in the large cabin, staring up at the ceiling with her legs kicking and shuffling the air as if some imaginary object pushed up against them. "Maybe that was a bit much."

"_Oh jeez, stop siding with him every single time. Big sister knows best._"

Jasmine looked towards her self-appointed mother figure and stuck out her tongue as a means to convey how she felt over the prospect of her 'big sister' telling her she knew better than the man who saved both of them not two weeks ago. Truly, however, the greatest stinging gesture was not her impolite action but, instead, her less than flattering remark.

"_You mean like when you thought it would be a good idea to go spy on Tsukune, right before he caught you?_"

"_H-How did you hear about that?_"

"_Big brother Tsukune told me._"

Chinese or Japanese, the boy was always capable of recognizing the sound of his own name. Generally, that never boded well in the past. His suspicious were to be confirmed soon thereafter.

"Big brother Tsukune, eh?"

The boy in question found the sea to be incredibly wondrous all of a sudden. He could feel Akua's oppressive glare on him, the intensity with which it burned was the stuff of legends. He dared not say a word. He avoided making any contact that might suggest he noticed that the young assassin wanted to have a word with him, direly.

The eldest Shuzen cleared her throat, no reaction. She called out his name, still no answer. Finally, she resolved herself to taking more draconian steps in catching his attention. From what she recalled of their heart-to-heart a fortnight ago, a good friend of his tried to murder him with the Dimensional Sword. If he were foolish enough to ignore her, it could not be helped if she did something drastic every now and again.

She breathed in slowly, quieted her aura, and got into a fighting stance. Jasmine, quite aware of where this was leading, made sure to vacate the bed and take several steps back; she was not about stand in Akua's way when she used such extreme means of persuasion. One step, two steps, three steps… She was now barricading herself behind the door and waiting patiently out in the hall for the one-sided massacre to commence.

Tsukune felt a disturbance. A pressure was building up; ever so gently, it bubbled up and cast its influence in the surrounding air. Then he felt it, a great gust of power burst forth and murderous intent lunged out at him. Akua was in midair by the time he realized she was about to fight him. Sensing he could not properly dodge her attack, he instinctively brought his arm up and parried her strike. The two arms connected and Akua's ability was canceled out.

The young vampire watched in awe as the person she tried to lightly cut blocked her. She stood, her mouth agape as the first target to ever dodge nullify her Dimensional Sword push her back and got into a fighting stance of her own. She could see the unwavering determination in his eyes, and for but a moment, she saw a great amount of power buried inside of him. It was a power she believed only two vampires in existence held.

"First Ancestor…" She whispered in amazement. Peering down at her hand, she noticed that her hand could once more displace rifts in Space after breaking contact. "Incredible technique," she finally noted. "Where did you learn it?"

Now that the imminent threat passed, the ex-ghoul fully came to grips with the gravity of his mistake. In that moment of panic, he was unable to distinguish an actual threat from a simple thrust meant to catch his attention. As a result, he had tipped his entire hand; that alone would bring about more unwanted questions.

"Umm…"

This was bad, he could feel the two pairs of inquisitive red eyes locked onto him. The more he tried to think of a suitable explanation, the more it entailed going into detail about who he was… and where he came from.

"_Oh jeez, _you're not about to start keeping secrets from me, are you?" She inquired.

He could see the glimmer in her eye. That same slight sliver of intrigue he saw when he first used that technique to fend her off at the Hanging Gardens. The more time they spent together, the more he could see facets of the dangerous Shuzen assassin that once tried to destroy him, back when he opposed her obsessive desire to protect Moka from those who cared about her. He could feel a wedge being driven by his silence, he had to resolve himself to saying something.

"Jasmine," he called out into the hallway.

"Yes?" She answered, still flabbergasted by the sight of such a display of power.

"Come in and close the door, what I have to say can't leave this room."

Understanding the imperious gravity of his tone, Jasmine complied without a word of protest. Leaving the boy free to recount a story about a simple human, a lonely vampire, and the friends who dared to stand up against evil and seek Coexistence…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Whatchhha think about 'em, Cap?"

The veteran leader of the crew, checking over the register as his feet lazily rested on the counter of the helm, gave a dark look at his cohort. The cohort had completely forgone the idea of maintaining his human appearance on board. Green scales, an elongated mouth with several missing fangs, and the ever so famous reptilian eyes that were a pale yellow. Dressed in the same vestments as his captain, his long claws, dulled to handle the complex rigging of the ship, and his lively tail where allowed to protrude proudly from his form.

The captain did not really care for his lax and easygoing first mate, a lizardman who lacked the discipline to remain in disguise at all times did not deserve to be in charge of any part of a cargo freighter as delicate as the Slivering Lady. Alas, tribe politics and the like made for strange and undesirable collaborations within the workplace.

"Think 'bout who?" He feigned ignorance.

In truth, he knew precisely who his tribe brother referred to, but he refused to overtly speak of them. They scared him, and from what he heard of the cursed species he was shanghaied into ferrying across the vast seas, it was bad to speak of them behind their backs; especially when he considered how keen their ears happened to be. The last he heard of sailors badmouthing a vampire, they ended up on the English coast with their throats ripped out. Of the entire crew, only a single one survived; he was the bright youngling who jumped ship and swam ashore before the vampire arrived topside to tell his hosts what he thought of their opinion.

"The bunchhha Jonah beneath deck, y'know, the vampsss,' the inferiorly ranked lizardman went on, unfazed by the subtle hint his superior sent his way, all in the hopes he would halt the conversation before they were both dangled overboard with fishhooks stuck in their mouths.

"All I know isss we keep our mouthsss ssshut 'n' do our jobsss," he quickly reminded his good-for-nothing brethren.

"Sssomething wrong with 'em, can feel it from here." He whined, still intent to vent his frustration on his captive audience of one.

"Ain't no problem of oursss, and careful who you gonna call a Jonah. They jussst asss sssoon kill ya than look atchhha."

"Unlucky and dangerousss. I wanna get thisss over with."

For the first time in his life, he left like they had reached common ground, "You and me both."

"An' about the big guy…" he began, "… the mute."

"What?"

Barely had the words escaped him that he already regretted asking such a moronic question. If, of the three, he felt there was one vampire not to speak ill of, it would be the menacing guardian that never made a sound. The girls seems polite and even well-mannered, characteristics that often beget merciful tendencies; the brute, he ventured to guess, was not quite as magnanimous as the little blood-thirsty ones.

"He don't act like no mute I've ssseen before," the first mate commented in an offbeat manner that provoked a mix of involuntary snickering the captain could not suppress.

"Sssince when do ya know what a mute actsss like?"

"He don't act right, I sssay."

Superstitious fears or simple outright hatred for the infamous 'monsters among monsters' race, the fatter lizard creature did not care one bit: He wanted his first mate to, for just once in his life, to leave a topic of conversation alone. He was no longer afraid of the vampires, or not as much as he previously was; he merely wanted the good-for-nothing to hold his tongue before he talked him to death.

"Inssstead a cryin' 'bout it. Get back to work."

Yet, the owner of the Slivering Lady still did not hear the end of it, and had to restrain himself before jumping at his underling's throat to relieve his exasperation. He could feel a serious migraine lodging itself in his brain when the familiar voice spoke once more.

"Tellin' ya, a real Jonah dat one."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"… Wait, go back to the part where the giant ship crashed."

"_Oh jeez, _what have I gotten myself into?"

His explanation had left his audience dumbfounded and a bit skeptical for several reasons. First of all, Tsukune did his best to avoid naming names, meaning that he had to identify his friends, family, acquaintances and enemies with numerical values or nicknames. Secondly, he conveniently left out the part where he was forced to time travel back to an earlier time; for some reason, he could feel the idea of being sent into the past was a foreign concept, even for monster society. Thirdly, some minor details had to be changed to suit the anonymity Tsukune preferred to maintain: He failed to go in-depth on how the final battle was won, who the enemy was and the like. All in all, what had begun as a genuine intention to tell them the entire truth morphed itself, yet again, into a quagmire of half-truths, omissions and misleading facts.

It was quite the unsatisfactory story for the young vampires. Akua tried her best not to groan at the sheer implausibility of half the events he did go into. She had been in the assassination industry for a while now, information and gossip were tools of the trade; still, she could be sure that a large part of what he recounted did not happen, whether in Japan or China. Still, it puzzled her, some behaviors and protocols Tsukune recalled seemed awfully close to some of the routines Fairy Tale used. The oddest part, though, was the amazing amount of precision the boy was able to bring forth; it clearly showed that Tsukune was not lying, not consciously anyway.

Body language was reserved, closed off, but in no way dishonest. So she concluded that he did face Fairy Tale, and the grand majority of what she was being told really did happen. However, the amount of secrecy made deciphering the mess she was given an impossible task. One day, she would have a proper sit down with her hopeless rescuer and get him to tell her the entire truth. Until then, she would keep a watchful eye over him at all times. If he really was so prone to getting into daunting situations, Akua would have her work cut out for her.

Jasmine found the whole story to be quite charming. She hung on every word and appreciated the conclusion. The veracity of the account was not her concern. It sounded nice, she trusted her newly adopted big brother. It was a little murky but she believed him, nothing else mattered.

"Yeah, I know how all this sounds," Tsukune admitted with a weary look.

"No, no, you say that's how it happened and I believe you." Akua reassured with a slight smile. "Still, I want to go back over a few parts later if you don't mind."

The discussion as cut short by the sound of a grumbling stomach. Afternoon was nearing and Jasmine was beginning to feel a bit peckish. Her older sisters motherly instincts set in and she went about dragging her protectee out of the room in search of something, or someone, to eat. If the food was lacking, the assassin was certain that she would find a willing volunteer in the crew. If not, she would find someone to make a generous contribution, independent of their freewill.

Tsukune did not so much as voice a single word of opposition to the idea. He was feeling hungry himself, and while he wanted to avoid feasting on some poor fool, he could sense that dissuading anyone else from trying would be both futile and stir his own desire for the crimson sustenance. If only human satiated him as it did in the past, it would be one less burden on his mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the voyage went on without a single incident. The crew was frightened by a few anemic crewmembers among them but nothing beyond the slight worry. The vampires kept to their quarters, and the crew steered clear of them whenever possible. Angst was the de facto peacekeeper and eradicator of discontent for the members of the reptilian race.

Finally came time to disembark. The entire crew had assembled to see the fearsome trio off and confirm they were alive after spending several days in the presence of vampires. They waved and smiled and wished them well. Underneath their outstretched smiles and pleasant disposition, Akua could detect the abject odor of anxiety enveloping the farewell committee. This only went to show why she despised spending any length of time with lower monsters, if they never had any sort of combat experience, they were likely to instinctively be afraid of a vampire. Being feared and discreetly shunned simply for holding a greater amount of power than others was disheartening, another reason why so many vampires turned to elitism.

She glanced at the masked vampire walking behind them, to think that he was once so fearful, perhaps creatures could change if they were shown the light. She interiorly laughed, and to think it would be the humans who would take the first step. It most assuredly was an interesting time to be alive when a human ascended the latter of power, or rather an ex-human.

They strode confidently passed the assembled group, courteously thanked them, and marched off the Slivering Lady as it unloaded the rest of its cargo. Back on solid land, a weight lifted from their shoulders. No matter how safe it was to sail, seeing nothing but the vampirirc equivalent of acid for days had a way of impacting one's morale.

Thankfully, that part of the journey was over. They waited at a nearby building on the extremity of the port for their Shuzen escort to arrive. It was scheduled to meet them any moment now. They waited for a while, silently watching the humans that scurried around them. None seemed to particularly mind the vampires, too absorbed by their own activities to truly care. Those who did steal a moment to observe the strange bunch assumed it was merely a cosplay event, it was an excuse that served the ex-ghoul well.

Of all the humans that went and left, none spent more than a few seconds staring at him. None, save one single boy, whose brown hair and equally brown eyes were familiar to Tsukune. The boy did not look away, having lost his cousin and parents, he was starting to enjoy the festivities on the street, the most interesting attraction had to be the mysterious group of cosplayers. Tsukune was privy to all manner of things that passed through the young boy's head.

After all, who better than one's own self could see the thoughts that dwelled within the hopeful face the person so often was accustomed to seeing in the mirror…


	4. Chapter 4

**In Remembrance Of...  
**

**The wait is over. As promised, I will not go for more than a week before updating one of my stories.**

**Enjoy:**

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"_Denn die Todten reiten Schnell. (For the dead travel fast.)"_

― _Bram Stoker, Dracula_

* * *

The young Tsukune watched the curious group quite intently. It was the first time he had ever seen such colorful personages. His cousin Kyoko did qualify as strange, but not in the same manner these characters carried the slightly demeaning title. The girl with silver hair appeared to be of a nice sort, a kind face and sweet demeanor. The older girl with black was a little scary, something about her made him feel extremely uneasy. As for the masked man, he was not sure what to make of him. Tsukune tried to see if the stranger had the same eyes the others did, but the intimidating presence made sure not to lock eyes with him. There was something about the eldest of the small band of friends, a sensation of eerie familiarity that lingered as he approached. He wanted to see who was behind the mask, he needed to know. A sort of trance came over him, and his feet carried him closer. His older counterpart did not have time to react, a voice came up behind the boy who immediately snapped back to reality.

"Tsukki, why did you wander off like that? We were looking all over for you."

The masked vampire saw her. For the first time in what felt like years, he saw his cousin with his own eyes. He forgot all about who he pretended to be, the whole ordeal and his plan to foreworn Akasha of Alucard's schemes had gone out the window. All he wanted to do was call out to his beloved cousin and embrace her. The fatal words were about to cross his lips when his younger persona answered.

"I'm sorry, Kyo," the child meekly responded. Having regained all of his faculties and brushed off the sudden outpouring of curiosity, the young brown-haired human took a few steps before the overly protective cousin grabbed him and began to drag him outside.

She looked up and realized that Tsukune was not alone. "I'm sorry about my little cousin. Tsukune can be such a problem sometimes. I hope he didn't cause you any trouble."

"Not at all." Akua speedily spoke. The odds of meeting two people named who appeared to be exact replicas of each other were below the point of impossible. Tsukune's reaction to the boy confirmed that a great number of things were amiss.

'That's funny," Jasmine began, "because big brother also has-"

Jasmine suddenly felt a deep tingling that traveled up and down her spine. The combined aura of the two vampires, now squarely aimed at her screamed one very important imperative: Do not breathe a word about big brother Tsukune's identity! Sensing that certain doom would follow if she did not comply, she tried to rectify her choice of words.

"-also has a knack for wandering off," Jasmine laughed as the dark intent dissipated into the air. She truly did manage to dodge a metaphorical bullet.

'Is that so?" Kyoko asked with great interest. She took a step towards the masked man and observed him with fervor. "You're the big brother?" She questioned. It was obvious, the older Tsukune reasoned, however Kyo was known for being a bit dense at times.

The mysterious stranger nodded his head, much to Kyoko's displeasure. "You can't talk?" She asked with a hint of disappointment. The stranger shook his head no as he contemplated how closely he had come to accidentally destroying the charade he painstakingly tried to keep up. Meeting his family, here of all places, had thrown a wrench in his plans. The best he could do was hastily speed this along and get away from this ticking time bomb of a coincidence.

"Well, take it from me, mister," Kyoko scolded her masquerading cousin with a wag of her finger. "You have two little sisters who care very much for you. Don't scare 'em by disappearing like my little cousin, got that?"

Tsukune nodded again, fully aware that the duo was keen to observe every detail of this exchange. They were putting two and two together, he was sure of it.

"Good, and…Tsukki! Watch where you're going!"

Too late. The younger Tsukune had pulled himself out of his overzealous cousin's grasp and momentarily lost his balance. The ungraceful display sent him tumbling headfirst into Akua. The two locked eyes and a spark crossed her face. Akua knew the two Tsukune's were the same person.

The human child pushed back in surprise, trying to regain his balance. In lieu of that, he landed on the floor with a reddened face. He expected the raven-haired girl to be angry, to lose her temper, yet she never lost her composure.

The boy dusted himself off, bowed apologetically and ran off. Seeing her charge leaving, she went on after him without another thought for the vampires who watched the embarrassed reaction with amusement. The oldest vampire chuckled at the realization of how shy he used to be, a trait that vanished after a few months at Yokai.

"So, his name was Tsukune, huh?" Akua nonchalantly noted. The First Ancestor was about to speak when he saw her raise a hand to stop him. "You don't want to talk about it, I can see that," she continued, her eyes still fixated on the human who was off in the distance, "but there's just one thing I want to ask you: You're coming with us because there's someone you want to meet at the mansion, am I right?"

The boy was taken aback by her deduction. How could she tell? "Yes," he answered honestly.

"Okay," she smiled, "then let's not waste any more time." She then pointed to a car that had just parked in front of them. "Looks like our escort is here."

The trio entered the nondescript black limousine. The vehicle went down the street, turned the corner, and sped off in the mansion's direction.

In a matter of minutes, the car had left the city and cruised along the verdant farmlands and trees. Truly, when monsters set their minds to it, they hardly wasted any time. Unsurprisingly, a sense of dread overcame the boy as they neared their destination: This was, after all, the most dangerous location in all of Japan. The transport entered the property of some of the most fearsome vampires in existence, leading him into the lion's den.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sir, they have arrived."

"Very well."

Issa Shuzen quickly traversed the ballroom. Were all the preparations made? Had everything been set accordingly? He was about to meet his eldest daughter for the first time, nothing could go awry.

He had heard so much about his daughter. The fearsome Black Devil: the grandest assassin in all of continental China. He followed her exploits with great interest. Never faced with a contract she could not fulfill nor a target she could not eliminate, she made the underworld tremble in fear. He could not have been prouder of her.

He contacted her numerous times in the past, asking her to come home. Every time that happened, he was met with the same answer: Not yet. It was becoming frustrating. He kept tabs on her, provided when he could; but it was not the same as being able to watch over her personally, to protect her as he did his other three daughters.

He watched as vampire after vampire bowed their head as he passed. All of his guests were present, eager to see how the new Shuzen girl would fare. They wanted to see blood, they peered down as predators awaiting a proper meal. Beneath the smiles and the laughter, all that mattered among them was to see if the prime heiress was as powerful as the rumors let on.

Although children were generally spared such masqueraded trials. Every once in a while, there came a child with such a reputation that the adults could not help but be enticed by the idea of comparing the prodigy's strength to theirs. They posed no threat to her. He would have her fight Kahlua and the audience would be sated for the time being.

The vultures that called him their host were not what troubled him. Rather, he thought of the two that accompanied her. The young girl in his daughter's care, her name was Jasmine if he recalled correctly, was not born into the family. If Akua truly felt as strongly about her as he suspected, then he would adopt her. That should provide enough of a reward for keeping her daughter company all these years. As for the masked guardian she spoke so highly of, he might be a problem. There were no records of this vampire. Every inquiry into his background came up blank. Whoever this Japanese vampire was, he was not related to any of his guests. It was both very unusual and highly troubling. Who was he? What was his goal? To further complicate things, Akasha was growing increasingly worried over a strange phenomenon that cropped up a few days ago, right around the time he first heard of this masked monster. It could not have been the Masked King, all his sources agreed to say this was a different person altogether. So who was he?

The door to the courtyard opened, and he was met with the trio of vampire. He placed a hand over his heart and bowed, thus properly greeting his daughter and her escort. "So good of you to come."Akasha and the girls were walking behind them. "Welcome to the Shuzen household. I am Issa Shuzen."

The polite gesture was returned by his daughter in earnest. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. Thank you for taking me in," she placed her right fist in the cup of her other hand as a sign of gratitude and lightly bowed.

The assembled congregation of vampires moved as one down the grandiose hall. Hundreds of eyes watched their every step, commenting and speaking their thoughts aloud. Many of these words were directed at Akua's arrival; comments made concerning either Tsukune or Jasmine were done sparingly.

Tsukune had done a fine job of concealing his identity. When they pulled up, and he was met with the young face he would come to love, he did not even so much as pause at the eerie reunion. He had ample time to prepare himself for this day. And so, he tried his best not to acknowledge little Moka's presence. He loathed himself for ignoring her, true, but he could not risk being exposed as of yet. He was somewhat successful in maintaining that indifferent façade, the mask had truly been invaluable so far; still, Akasha that was the true obstacle. He could feel her observing him. He stayed close behind Akua and Issa, the rest followed swiftly behind him. He did not see Akasha watching him, he felt it. The great and powerful Nosferatu, the one who sent him back in time in the first place.

"I understand I have you to thank for delivering my daughters here." Issa commented as the two male vampires split off from the rest of the group, leaving Akasha to conduct the tour for the new arrivals. "What is it that the Shuzen clan might offer you?"

"I'd like to stay here for a couple days before going my own way." Tsukune replied, hoping the small interaction would soon be forgotten, along with the particular timbre of his voice. Letting Akua know his true identity was a perilous situation already; allowing another to connect the dots between the mysterious vampire and the young human who was to attend the Academy would prove to be downright dangerous.

"Agreed," the patriarch of the family smiled, at ease now that he was able to assess the stranger's character, "we will speak of your reward some other time. Come now, they should be in the ballroom by now."

The crowd assembled together and the head of the fearsome, well acquainted with the subtleties of their collective expectations, concealed his friendly disposition. They expected a show, and as much as he may disapprove, the Shuzens had an image to uphold, not that he was overly concerned with what was to come next.

"I would like to get a good measure of your strength, if you don't mind,' he courteously addressed his eldest daughter. Jasmine had long since found refuge next in to Moka in Akasha's arms. His daughter responded kindly with a smirk and a nod, the festivities could proceed uninterrupted. "Your opponent will be Kahlua."

"Yes, father." Kahlua acknowledge as she revealed herself from amidst the assembly. The crowd stepped back, leaving the two combatants with enough room to duel with ease. The two circled each other with unabashed ferocity. Those in attendance not extensively knowledgeable of the clan that hosted them, waited with baited breathe, eager to see a bloodbath unfold. They stayed deathly quiet, and still, as the predatory opponents examined each other with the utmost interest. Every step, every glance, and every twitch of every muscle spoke volumes of the adversary they were about to face.

The signal resounded in the form of a clap, and the two competitors were off. It proceeded precisely as Tsukune remembered: the feints, dodges, kicks, punches, Akua's martial technique, Kahlua otherworldly resilience; it was exactly as he recalled It, down to the faintest detail. The second clap resounded, and the battling fiends, while in mid-flight, managed to halt in place and acquiesce to the draw. They saluted each other, then their father.

"Your strength is greater than I expected," he noted, content of the results. This was sure to silence the critics in the vampire community. A small show of force always seemed to intimidate them into keeping their peace.

"Thank you, father," Akua replied, nearly out of breath. The fight had taken more than she expected. However, she glad that it occurred. She was given the chance to see some of Kahlua's abilities. She was quite the fearsome fighter; she was honored to call her sister.

Noticing that the two began to bond, he thought it best to adjourn for today. He did not wish to deal with the congregation any longer. With a nod to Tsukune, signifying that he was welcome for as long as he wanted to stay, he whispered a few words to Akasha as he left. The First Ancestor accepted whatever request he voiced, and watched as her husband retreated to his study to rest. Akasha turned to the assembled crowd and began to mingle. She greeted and conversed with a smile; still, Tsukune could tell by the stiffness of her demeanor that she disliked this gathering as much as the patriarch did. Now was his chance; he stepped forward, passing through the growing number of vampires that barred his way. Many did a double take of the masked one, curious that they sensed such power coming from one so reserved. Alas, before he could reach the Nosferatu, a hand shot out of the assembly, and an all too familiar, and severely despised face came to forefront. With a grin, Gyokuro Shuzen dragged off the brown-haired boy long before Akasha even noticed he was near. Out in the deserted hallway adjacent to the crowded ballroom, the two were given a chance to converse. She was dressed in a green dress not unlike the one she wore, or would wear, during the battle atop the airborne Hanging Gardens. She exuded the same air of sickening superiority she always sported; she was so sure of her greatness, it only made the prospect of besting her a second time all the sweeter.

"Did he send you?" Gyokuro inquired with a hint of interest.

"Yes he did," the impassable figure responded dryly.

The cold reception was unexpected, but not completely unjustified. She imagined the Masked King ordered him to undertake this task without any willingness to take no for an answer. He lacked considerably when it came to being diplomatic, it was truly deplorable to have a leader that lacked that essential trait prerequisite to being charismatic. Then again, his shortcoming was why she was so prominent in the organization. He held the strings, but Gyokuro was the face in the spotlight; the caring leader that built Fairy Tale up from a petty band of ragtag monsters into a fully-capable, international, association of human-hating monsters. From nothing, she molded a powerful group in her own image; all right in front of Akasha's husband-stealing nose. It was simply too perfect.

"I'm sorry but could you say exactly who sent you?" she pleasantly asked. "It's just a formality, but I have to make sure we are on the same page," she lied.

It was an underhanded way of gathering some sorely wanted information. Perhaps the Masked King approached the mysterious vampire in his true form. If that were so, she had to know her boss' identity. Being kept in the dark left her with a sense of awful foreboding; if she could help it, she would learn every little detail possible before trying to make any ambitious move to take more power. Not to mention that a number of her plans might be undermined if the Masked King was as strong as he let on.

"The Masked King." Tsukune answered honestly, if a bit succinctly. He contemplated telling her the whole truth for a moment, curious to see how her face would be gripped by surprise and fear; but, the childish desire for a modicum of revenge subsided. In its place came Tsukune's calculative mind who judged tipping his hand to one of his arch-foes to a very poor move.

"Right. But did he give you a name?" Gyokuro half-heartedly tried one last attempt, all with the most charming of smiles.

"No."

She resisted the urge to scream. He knew, she could tell. He knew and he was careful to keep that secret safely tucked inside his mind. How infuriating. He was intelligent, smart enough to not say any more than he had to. With instincts like that, and a restrained aura that, when you came close, left you in awe, he had the potential to go very far; he had the capacity to be a very big player when all was said and done. Perhaps he could be a valuable ally after all.

"Too bad," she commented with a light shrug of her shoulders, her smile barely wavered. "Anyways, how can I compensate you for your act of valor?"

He stayed silent. If he gave her a price, he was certain she would pay it on the spot, leaving him without an alibi for lingering in the mansion after tonight. His lack of a reply did not go unnoticed. The Shuzen matriarch surmised he was simply hard to get; she found it odd that he would pick this time to be reserved about an answer. Unless, of course, he was aiming for a prize he knew to be excessive. To be so opportunistic… He might be just the catch she was looking for; a powerful tool she may yet wield to her benefit. All she had to do was reel him in and make sure to never let go; she could mold him to her heart's content after insuring he was under her tutelage.

"Let's see. Money? Prestige? Power?" She questioned, trying to discern if any of the bait she threw at him found their target. Not so much as a flinch. "How about all three?" She congratulated herself when he almost imperceptibly leaned forward in puzzlement. She knew she had him now. "You don't look that old," she noted. "Eighteen at the most, right? You know, my eldest is practically your age. Well, a few years younger, give or take," she let her honeyed words flow, confident in her ability to let the powerful young vampire's imagination soar at the possibilities. Who could refuse a golden offer; and laid out so prettily, no less.

'That won't be necessary," he promptly refused without a moment's hesitation. Alas, it did not deter her one bit.

"Nonsense, you did this family a great favor. Marrying into it is only just," she declared, hoping to pull the boy out of whatever false sense of modesty he was trying to put on. He was not going to wedge himself out of this; all that was required was a little push, "and, it will make you the envy of our brethren."

"No, I really don't think-" Tsukune tried to reply.

"It's done," she rudely interjected. She had him in the palm of her hand, there was no way she would let him go now. "Feel free to stay for as long as you want. Her name is Kahlua, by the way; I can tell you two will get along famously."

By the time he thought up a reply, Gyokuro had vanished into thin air; there was no doubt she made her way back to the party. He would have to clear up this misunderstanding some other time. For now, he had pressing business with the Dark Lord, and he was not about to let the opportunity to warn her slip through his fingers a second time this day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Akasha felt an awful sensation every time Akua's guardian came close. It was a chill that overcame her, intermingled with a deep sense of loss and sorrow. She disliked the feeling, which tended to go away for the most part after getting enough between herself and the young boy. The chill went away, as did the sorrow; but the loss, the loss did not disappear quite so readily. She pushed it out of her mind as she went about entertaining the guests and watching the few children that were still in attendance. Moka and Akua had gone off somewhere together; a good chance for the two to bond as sisters. The newly-adopted Jasmine followed her around dutifully; already the new mother figure embraced her as her own.

"-and so I told him: "If you won't call off your pet, I'll have my people do it for you." The look on his face was simply priceless." One of the vampires that Akasha called guest, a British woman, recounted to the pleasure of most who listened to her story

"I'm sure." Akasha politely replied with her usual soft smile. Truth be told, she was barely paying attention, this endless gatherings bored her almost as much as they did Issa. She only attended them to preserve the family image, not that it needed that much attention to continue carrying such weight. Unfortunately, a minimum amount of involvement was necessary to keep people from forgetting not to cross the Shuzens.

"Oh my dear, you simply must come to my estate sometime soon. We would be honored to have you and the rest of the Shuzen clan come visit our home. Isn't that right, darling." She turned to another British vampire that stood nearby.

"Quite," he responded with a grin that threatened to split his face in half. "In fact, if I'm not mistaking, none of your daughters have been given away in marriage, correct? Maybe we could come to some arrangement on the matter?" The British gentleman mused.

Typical. Another group of vampires that practically threw themselves, and their children, at the greatest clan they could find. Vampires accounted for an extremely small percentage of the monster population, to the point that many monsters came to discount their existence as the stuff of legends; they were relegated to a sort of bogeyman status by the rest. The ceaseless attempts at steering their families into advantageous marriages did not help the birth rate by any stretch of the imagination, either.

"Excuse me. May I have a word with you?"

The sense of dread surged without warning, and Akasha did not even need to turn her head to know who was asking for a moment of her time.

"Of course," she obliged with a tilt of her head. "Pardon us for a moment."

The two were now free to speak privately. The surrounding crowd paid them no mind and Jasmine had since wandered off in search of Moka and Akua. Now that he was confronted with the same woman that had sent him back, Tsukune could not find the words. Every sound he wanted to make stayed stuck in his throat as the one whom he saw die right in front of stood with the softest of expressions. It was surreal, and he felt his legs would give way before he ever told her who he was and what was bound to happen.

"Is everything alright?"

She saw him begin to lose his footing; something was extremely wrong. Her hands came up to try and offer a reassuring touch on his shoulders. As soon as she made contact, the chill emanating from him stopped. In its place came a torrent of images and sounds. Millions upon millions of memories a dying Akasha bequeathed to a heartbroken Tsukune through a single, soft kiss. Her eyes widened in realization as every detail of the future came to her. All the good times, the trials, the gentle moments she spent in the company of her friends; it was overwhelming.

"Tsukune," she murmured.

The boy was shaken to his core. She remembered! She remembered everything. He was at a loss. How did this happen? Her finger came up to silence the boy before he could say a word. Having made sure he would not speak, she abruptly ran off, leaving Tsukune alone in a veritable sea of monsters; both figuratively and literally.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issa Shuzen was quietly perusing his vast library. He was in the mood for some satire; maybe a French poet would help him unwind after a long day of watching dishonorable vampires trample each other for his attention. He heard the door open and a figure whose dress lightly brushed against the floor come forward.

"Is something the matter, Akasha?" he inquired, still observing his collection with the highest care.

"We need to talk," she announced with some urgency in her voice.

'What is it, love?" The Shuzen patriarch was starting to worry. He turned to see Akasha fidgeting where she stood.

"What I have to say cannot leave this room, okay?" She was deathly serious as stated her request.

"Naturally, but what troubles you?" He reassured as he sat down in a nearby chair. It was an extremely rare sight to see Akasha Bloodriver ever show such signs of fear; the only entity that could possibly inspire this level of urgency was supposed to be sound asleep. The more he thought of it, the more he, himself, grew worried at what she might tell him.

With that, Akasha went to close the door behind her. No one was to eavesdrop on this conversation for no living soul outside of that room could learn what she and Issa would plan later on. In the dead of night, when all others slept soundly, the two vampires continued to formulate and scheme based on Akasha's newly recovered, or rather acquired, memories.


	5. Chapter 5

… **The Boy Who Went To Sleep.**

**As promised, no more than a week between posts.**

**Enjoy:**

* * *

"_How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams."_

― _Bram Stoker, Dracula_

* * *

Tsukune felt the warmth of the sun's beams bear down on him as the sun rose past the dark-colored trees before him. He idly wandered the hallways of the mansion, then the courtyard, followed by the gardens, the adjoining forest, the patch of dirt roads that went to and fro the imposing building that stood a as giant among the sea of green foliage. Sleeping, though awfully tempting, never took him that evening; he was far too preoccupied with the enigmatic way in which Akasha responded. He gathered that the physical contact permitted a transfer of sorts, that light touch was what brought forth the warning the elder monster had passed on to herself through the boy; however, her disappearance thereafter was unexpected to say the least. The slight push of the breeze on his mask persisted as the cold winds refused to be rebuffed by the nascent day. He was unsure what to expect; having played over the faithful where the two should meet again, under the banner of the Shuzen mansion, there remained the one thing he never could plan for back in Hong Kong. Try as he might, the idea of seeing her again, pleasant as could be to a weary spirit such as his, came frightfully close to unraveling into an obsession. Were he to dare think over the matter in any great detail, he found he would lose his appetite and barely sleep at all. He could recall several nights where Akua, whether it be from worry over his health or fear that he might run away after coming this far, stayed up to keep him company when it was painfully clear her every fiber cried for slumber. After a time, he learned to distance the anticipation of this day from himself as much as possible; sparing a few brief moments to contemplate how to go about the next step was all he allowed himself. Alas, now that the fated time came and went, the usual insomnia returned to him as an old friend.

"_Oh jeez, _you look terrible. Did you even see the bed you were supposed to sleep in?"

The boy smiled and chuckled lightly, he could always count on Akua to be around to scold him, "I did, it looked very comfortable. But why would I sleep when I could go out for a stroll?"

He continued to walk upon the paved pathway that encircled the aged edifice like a noose to a hangman, the atmosphere was austere enough for him to draw that comparison. The soft clicking of her expensive shoes followed suit, never once breaking the rhythmic harmony that his heavier frame set as it stayed on the path. "You're hopeless, you know that?" she reproached with a smile of her own.

"Maybe, but that's what makes me lovable, right?" He joked as the two steadily began to move away from the residence; deep into the thick brush of verdant forest so closely knit that the sun never fully shined through, even in these waking hours.

"You have no idea," she muttered, mostly to herself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Akua replied flustered and embarrassed, "never mind."

Unaware of why Akua's mood shifted so drastically, he promptly ignore her last remark as requested; it was most likely some witty retort she was ashamed saying. It was odd, he thought, he could distinctly hear the pebbles and dust on the path slide across the ground as the duo shook the earth for these minuscule specs; and yet, on occasion, he could barely hear Akua's muttering under her breath. An ingrained sense of decency, rooted deep into his subconscious, must have been at work here. Or perhaps he could simply not resolve himself to understand what it was she did murmur when she assumed he did not pay attention. In any case, it was not Tsukune's sleep-deprived mind to know: wondering about the future of the world, and of the Dark Lord he sought out, took some measure of precedence over some suspicious comment his partner made.

"How's Jasmine adjusting to all this? I can't imagine it'd be easy for her," Tsukune said, hoping to veer away from the uncomfortable silence that set in.

"It's all very new to her," Jasmine's self-described big sister and guardian admitted, "but it looks like she'll fit in just fine. I'm glad she got the chance to experience what a real family is like."

'What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you fitting in alright? "

There was a slight pause. A wayward bat, on its way back to the caves beneath the Shuzen property, circled above in the hopes of finding a last morsel it could eat before hiding from the abrasive rays of the sun. They stopped and admired the creature as it went about its search for food; he went from trunk to trunk, screeching in the hopes of detecting a lost strangler hiding among the trees. Finding no such prize, he batted his wings and disappeared into the fading darkness.

"This feels like home already," the young vampire said. Apart from the bat being a favored companion of vampires, she felt a sort of bond with the fleeting creature. It would have been wishful thinking than to imagine the creature returning home and finding a family it cared for, she knew that much. But somewhere deep down, dreaming of that scenario made the moment she spent in the dark forest idyllic. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she was somewhere she felt comfortable, safe. She belonged in the proud and unwavering mansion that stood in the distance, every inch of her being felt at ease there. Consequently, her tongue was a bit looser than it otherwise would have been, "I feel close to all of them, my sisters. I don't know why but the second youngest, Moka, she reminds me of Jasmine a little bit." The boy inwardly grinned as he witnessed the prelude to what he knew would grow into a sister complex the likes of which the world has never known. It was obvious now that certain events were decreed to happen, one way or the other; he only prayed the impending doom wasn't one of those things fated to occur. "By the way," Akua's face darkened, "a couple guys whose boss I killed a while back picked up our trail in Hong Kong. I think I got them all, but be careful."

"So that's what you and Moka were doing when you skipped out after the fight," he knowingly stated, much to Akua's embarrassment; coming from the future certainly had a few perks he enjoyed making good use of.

"Social gatherings bore me."

"Me too."

Akua hoped that, with his lack of sleep, she might finally uncover what it was he considered so important he absolutely had to make it to Japan in the first place. "Did you get a chance to talk with whoever you came here to talk to?"

"More or less," came the cryptic reply. She sighed, she knew he wasn't going to tell her anything now, seeing as how she made the mistake of pressing too hard. These enigmatic answers only ever came up when he was on the defensive, unwilling or unable to elaborate any further on the topic.

"So, I suppose you'll be heading out now."

"Honestly, I don't know what to do now."

"You? Without a plan to keep you obsessed? _Oh jeez, _it's the end of the world!"

Did Akua really think he was that serious? Always a goal to strive for; a destination to hurry towards. It was reasonable of her to assume as much, he did cross two countries and an ocean for a chance to meet someone, after all. It was strange, he pondered, that most of his other friends would have said the complete opposite of him. He was told he resembled a carefree spirit more than anything; supposedly, he was an endless well of optimism and good humor complemented with a selfless mentality. He didn't see himself as such a noble figure, truth be told, but he presumed it was because of different, less troubled times. He yearned to return to those happy days where bickering among friends was the highpoint when it came to daily excitement. As incredible an experience it was to fight his way across an airborne enemy base that then went crashing down into a populated metropolis, he would like to pass this time around.

The two walked a ways further. Time practically flew by as they happily conversed with one another; so much so that they were immensely surprised when they looked up to notice the sun nearing the zenith. At this point, they were back in the main courtyard, covering their eyes as the light shun a little too brightly for their enhanced sense of vision. Seemingly on command, clouds, the byproduct of some spell that encased the Shuzen property, formed in front of the celestial body, shielding the vampires from the majority of its rays. The greyish clouds expanded ever outward, becoming a thick sheet of condensed vapor that blanketed the region. The darker horizons allowed Tsukune the luxury of using the entirety of his superior senses to look around. One of the things he noticed, much to his surprise, was Akasha's silhouette standing at one of the windows that looked into the courtyard; she beckoned him to come meet her. With a new purpose to satisfy his need for direction, he excused himself from the pleasant present company. Akua also saw Akasha invite Tsukune to come see her; she'd already known that this was the mysterious figure Tsukune came to meet thanks to a simple process of elimination: she doubted he came to see Gyokuro and he did not seem at all eager to speak with her father, which left only a single candidate to be considered. There was something in the way the distant form slightly bowed, the head was hung too lowly for this to be merely a harmless chat. The First Ancestor was going to ask something of the brown-haired boy the prodigal assassin swore to protect, something she did not want to ask. This did not bode well at all.

"Sure, but can you promise me something?" She cautiously asked, her gaze was set upon the boy with a great enough intensity to make him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Alright…" he slowly worded, she was worrying him with the borderline abrasive cut hidden in her words.

"You'll come back to me. No matter what happens and who gets in the way, if you need to leave the mansion, you'll come back to me."

He did not grasp the full meaning of her words, he was rather clueless in that aspect of life. A simple request only ever sounded like a simple request to him; he was not capable of distinguishing simple friendship from blooming affection, and it was the latter that Akua's words carried. It was a promise that he would never leave her; it was a sworn oath that Akua Shuzen would always have a soul mate by the name of Tsukune Aono roaming the world, from now until the end of time.

And he threw himself right into the line of fire.

"Of course," he assured without a second's hesitation. Truly, he was blind to the intricate strings that made up the heart of a person in the throes of love.

She contained herself as best she could. He said it! He told her he would always come back to her! A small part of her was aware that he potentially did not fully grasp the extent of what she'd asked of him, a part that annoy her to no end. She conceded to her conscious in that respect. It was a certainty he did not understand; however, now, Tsukune had one more ally in the world who would do nothing short of setting the globe on fire to keep him safe: they both had a lot to gain with this new arrangement.

"Thank you," she warmly smiled before scampering off to parts unknown of the gargantuan mansion. Thus leaving Tsukune with a date with destiny; a form of destiny that did fancy herself more beautiful in a purple dress than the Academy's winter uniform.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It feels like it's been a long time…" Akasha softly spoke, watching as the brown-haired youth nodded his head.

"Yeah. Like it's been a couple years or something."

They both chuckled at the thought. Technically, it had been a few years. The question was in which direction had time flown since their tearful separation. It was a bizarre feeling to see her again like this. She wasn't quite the same girl he fell in love with back at school, but that was not to say that he saw nothing that reminded him of her. It was the burden of memories, remembering what had come and gone, what they experienced and done together. Somehow, the chirping sound of her voice, once a source of everlasting comfort to his ears, sounded different coming from a woman who lived and loved in the past. The silence went uninterrupted, neither monster, despite all the power they wielded, knew how to deal with the elephant that figuratively trampled across the room. They each recalled every single detail of the life they did not yet live in this timeline. Unfortunately, she also remembered that she wasn't Moka Akashiya this time around. The noise that Moka and Kokoa made as the one sparred and the other was pushed into a brick wall was a far cry louder than any sound they emitted.

"Look… I…" he stopped in mid-sentence. Whatever it was that he planned on saying, it no longer sounded like the phrase that should break the sentence.

Akasha gazed around her room, hoping to find some inspiration that would revive the conversation. "You know," she began, "I wonder what the guys are up to right now."

The boy was surprised at the thought. Now that it was mentioned, he hadn't even wondered about that yet; he had been so preoccupied with coming to Japan with the two prodigal vampire girls, there hadn't been so much as a split-second he could spend trying to find out how his friends were doing. The only thing he could do was hazard a few guesses and see if they sounded correct.

"Kurumu is with her mom right now; Mizore should be at her people's village; Yukari: with her family; and Ruby…"

Their eyes met as a mental picture of the mature witch who'd done so much for them came into view. Their eyes widened in dread realization as they inwardly tried to piece together what their good friend was doing as of this moment; in the last few hours, if they were correct in their shared assumption, a defining tragedy just befell the raven mistress.

"Oh no… Ruby's parents…" Akasha's lips quivered and a drop rolled down her cheek, she could not bring herself to say it aloud.

They both calculated the horrendous accident to have taken place less than a day ago.

"It happened last night…" Tsukune's voice was barely a whisper, a distant faint echo of a mind that tortured itself over its inaction.

He could have saved her from that fate. If he took the time to think a little more about his friends and less about himself, Ruby wouldn't be suffering as they sat here in disgusting opulence. If only he'd taken the time to think a little about his friends, she wouldn't be forced to deal her parent's death. He felt sick to his stomach, what a pathetic excuse for a friend he was.

Akasha was no stranger to her best friend's train of thought, she knew how Tsukune was connecting the dots and why his hands were clasped into reddish knuckles. "You couldn't have known," she tried to comfort him, to no avail.

"I did know," he replied, still reeling as the full eight of his mess up came crashing down on him. "I knew and I didn't lift a finger to help her."

She could see the tears forming in his eyes as he processed it. Poor boy, he carried everyone's burdens, it was his kind-hearted nature that did this. Certain events cannot be altered. Sending him back was a risky bet, but the world's continued survival hinged on his success. Trying to do it again, regardless of whose life could made the better for it, was not an option. She despised herself for being so rational at a time like this; alas, it had to remain as it was. All that could be done from this point on was meet her at the Witch's Knoll and be as good a friend to her the second time around as they tried to be the first time they saw her up on that crow-infested building. This was tearing him apart, and another insidiously pragmatic idea came to her. Tsukune would likely contest the plan if she laid it out to him plan as day, her only option was to convince him to take the next step without grasping the plunge he would have to make.

"There might be a way to set things right…" she worded with the utmost care. She might lead to do something; but as distasteful as what she did was, she would not ever lie to him about something so grave.

The youth took the bait hook, line and sinker. His face brightened as the promise of a better outcome came on the horizon. "How?" His voice was coarse, his eyes burned with renewed fervor as another chance to fix the wrongs that plagued his friends was presented to him.

"I need you to find your younger self. Once that happens, I'll be able to cast a spell to reconnect the two of you into a single person. Then everything will work out,' she promised him.

Within the minute, he was already through the door and running down the hallway, eager to take the first limousine he could back to the neighborhood he grew up in. Akasha just sat there, wiping a guilt-induced tear from her eye. It was proceeding as planned, it was all she could take comfort in.

"It seems all the pieces are in place." Issa remarked as he entered his wife's parlor room.

"Yes." Akasha replied as she felt the boy's aura grew fainter by the minute. "Promise me you'll keep an eye on Jasmine while I'm gone."

"You have my word, she won't leave my side."

"Good, Gyokuro can't find out or it's all over."

"Agreed. Do you want to go by the Academy later on?"

"No, I'll take care of that. Thanks, Issa."

"As you wish. Moka is waiting for you downstairs, something about Kokoa not able to get up."

At hearing those words, the last bits of sadness vanished, replaced by the concerned mother who speedily ran downstairs. "I told her to be nice!"

As for the patriarch, he stayed in the room, contemplating the barrage of information he was forced to absorb at an ungodly hour. Down in the courtyard, he could see his eldest, now home where she belonged, walking about with a certain air that the leader of the Shuzen clan sensed was overwhelming joy. It did not need to give the matter much thought, he knew precisely what it was that inspired her with such a positive attitude. The reason had just strolled out of his home as though the mansion's hounds were on his tail. It was him who would later incur within his third oldest that very same bout of affection.

"Tsukune Aono…" He said to no one in particular. "You love my daughter, eh?"

Try as he might, the anger that those words brought was difficult to contain. He might have saved the world, but was he truly deserving of his precious Moka? He thought not; and when came time to train the boy, he would be sure to hammer that point home at every turn. There would be no need to hold back at all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The young human was happily roaming around the park, pleased that he managed to shake his older cousin so that he may enjoy the short time he could while the adults were unable to supervise him. He explored the bushes, crawled beneath the park benches and climbed atop any tree that he get a footing on. All of this, and more, was being observed by the masked vampire hiding in the shadows. What a content child the younger him made, not a worry aside from his next meal. He continued to observe, unsure of what he should be doing. Akasha failed to indicate what the signal for the merging would consist of. In fact, he didn't even know how the fusion of the two was supposed to work. Time was a delicate thing to play with, sure, but which of the two would retain his memories? Again, he dove into a mess while forgoing any sort of strategy.

Elsewhere, Akasha closed her eyes and watched as the two Tsukune's were in the same vicinity. With a gentle whisper, she called out to the younger one to look behind him. The child, curious at the mysterious voice's provenance, turned back and was met face-to-face with his older self. He was about to say something along the lines of "quit following me, you old weird man" when the mask the silent visitor wore broke, revealing a shocked and older version of his own face. He again tried to speak up but was unable to, he felt himself gently drift off as his mind fell into a deep trance.

The older Tsukune was still completely aware, and surmised that Akasha was behind his mask sudden destruction. He looked down at the two pieces of his anonymous persona, now resting on the grass. It was then that a voice resonated inside his head, he knew that voice all too well. She continued to repeat the same words over and over: _I'm sorry._ He did not understand: why was she apologizing?

He looked down and watched in horror as his skin turned progressively darker until it was as dark as night. His flesh ripped itself into pieces; oddly enough, he felt no pain. It continued to tear and ripped along predetermined sections of his body, his clothes had long since melted into a puddle of black goo at his feet. And all at once, the torn form of Tsukune Aono burst into a swarm of bats, all of which flying about in a cloud of disoriented animals, desperately trying to uncover where to go. The gentle sounds of Akasha;s humming soothed the flying creatures as the now fragmented parts of Tsukune's mind recognized her as a friend. Her voice disappear from within the collective hive mind the animals that made up the teen vampire possessed, the humming now seemed to come from the entranced child.

Without a moment's hesitation, the bats flew towards him screeching as the made contact with the young Tsukune. One after another, they were absorbed into the human boy's body. When the last one was assimilated into its new host, Tsukune snapped out of his reverie and looked around in alarm.

"What was I doing?" he asked himself, the soothing voice had vanished as did the remnants of the bats. "Oh right," he recalled he was trying to evade Kyouko's hawk-like watch over him. He quickly ran off to another part of the park, eager to experience as much as he could while he was still able to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Again They Meet.**

**Enjoy:**

* * *

"_It is the end!" He turned to me, and said with grave solemnity:- "Not so; alas! not so. It is only the beginning!"_

― _Bram Stoker, Dracula_

* * *

Six years later; Yokai Academy's Enforcer Office.

The creature howled as his opponent, taking advantage of the timely distraction, slid behind him and did her best to restrain the fiery beast. He shook as best he could, vainly trying to release himself from the iron grasp of the ruby-eyed predator. She would have none of that, tightening her hold with every ounce of strength still left in her. With a sense of urgency echoed in her voice, she yelled out at the one who provided the opening; the same boy who, a mere few seconds ago, was still an unconscious human on the verge of dying from the severity of his wounds.

"Tsukune, now! Run towards me!"

The creature stood quietly. He could remember that voice. Somewhere amidst the bloodlust that swelled in his mind as the old nemesis struggled to move away, a semblance of Tsukune Aono persisted to remain in control. Memories, fragments of his original life, slowly returned to him as the vampire blood flowed through his veins; the part of him that laid dormant was reawakened by the familiar infusion of the crimson liquid.

"Tsukune,.." Moka cried out once more. This time, the boy reacted as the full scope of who and what he was finally sunk in deeply enough. "You've got the strength now…!"

"Kuyo…" came the nearly inaudible whisper.

He longed to beat that wretched monster into submission once more. Twice now did that self-proclaimed school protector almost turn him to ash; the burns might have faded but the dreadful sensation lingered a while longer, inspiring Tsukune with an amount of hate he did not often feel. The desire to destroy Kuyo burn more brightly than his human form ever did; he would roast him with his own flames.

"Never! You'll never beat the law!" Kuyo yelled in rage, unwilling to admit his defeat.

With no further hesitation, Tsukune ran towards his archenemy, intent on delivering the greatest blow possible. His arm was drawn back as he neared the target. With the momentum created by his accrued speed, and the full force that a frustrated vampire could deliver into his fist, his punch made contact with the anger-stricken face Kuyo made. It turned to abject pain, then nothingness, as the broken foe fell backwards unto the floor, he was knocked out before his body touched the stone flooring.

He turned to the sliver-haired beauty and wanted to speak, to tell her everything her blood revealed to him. Alas, the details became murkier as the seconds passed. The past life he lived, the knowledge of future and past events alike that swirled around in his brain, it all slipped away from him. He did his best to try and focus, he had to tell Moka. He had to tell her… something important. What was it? Before long, the boy fell back into his slumber in Kurumu's waiting arms, unable to meditate or reminisce on an encounter that was once more lost to him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A day later; Yokai Academy's rooftop.

Instead of fading out, it surged back into him as the blood circulated through him anew. Moka, or rather Akasha, gripped onto his uniform tightly. His opponent, Chopper Kikishi, already made his move. The full force of his oversized hand, couple with the abundance of power that trolls wielded, was thwarted with his own, barely pushing back the gargantuan creature's attack. The half-hearted effort he put into it was enough to irritate and amaze the would-be fighting champion of Yokai.

"But I can cut through boulders with that!"

Tsukune simply felt incapable of working up any sort of sympathy. To attack him out of the blue was one thing, but to threaten his friend, even if that friend had a lot of explaining to do, was an offense he was unable to forgive. Just as they continued to stare at each other, frozen in this surreal pose of a mighty David effortlessly resisting Goliath's onset, a voice resonated inside the newly returned vampire: it was a voice he cherished hearing.

"_Do you get it now, Tsukune? I pumped vampire blood into you… again!" _

He smiled as the silver-haired vampire went about her monologue from within the confines of her magical prison. She used to be so pompous back when he first got to know her; the pretentious façade she put up around her words, the haughty tone oozing with pride, the perpetual expression hat mingled both boredom and a know-it-all attitude, it was all so very nostalgic to the brown-haired vampire.

"_Which means you have vampire powers… for a while. But it only lasts for a few minutes."_

The realization was the last piece of the jigsaw to fall into place. Tsukune, despite the fog that enveloped his mind, understood now why he reverted back: it was all linked to the blood. The vampire blood was the means through which he could recall his past life. As soon as it dissolved into his body, which was bound to be soon, he would forget everything he so recently regained. The somber epiphany, as dire as it may have sounded, also possessed something a silver lining. As the boy went about subconsciously beating the troll to a bloody pulp, his mind continued to process the information. The automatic gestures, guided by a reborn instinct to fend off a challenger, allowed him to take a moment to formulate the following idea. If his memories were interlocked with him being a vampire, then all he had to do was bide his time until he was confronted with the anti-schoolers. If his hypothesis was correct, he would not succumb to ghouldom twice.

"_Do you get it now, Tsukune? You're fighting with power borrowed from me… and when the fight's over, you go back to being a weakling. Did you really think it would be that easy to become the strongest of all monsters?"_

He did his best to stifle the giggling fit that nearly overwhelmed him. Though he recognized the need to stay impassive for the moment. He couldn't help but mentally agree with the ruby-eyed predator: it really did take a whole lot more than a couple transfusions for him to turn into the strong monster that faced off against Alucard and Fairy Tale. The battle was over, and the captain of the Wrestling Team was unconscious, the thorough thrashing had been too much for him.

"_You better learn your place, little boy… or you're going to get stepped on!"_

To which he accidentally conceded, _"You have no idea."_

"_What?" _The proud vampire exclaimed, flabbergasted that he could actually make a mental connection while under the influence of her blood.

It was too late. Tsukune had reverted back to his human persona, all memories of the exchange were now gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One month after the Enforcer fiasco; Witch's Knoll.

"No human could survive that!" Ruby yelled out.

Tsukune had to agree with her, if it wasn't for Moka, or Akasha, he would have stayed dead. For some reason, although the excursion, and the encounter, happened the same way it did last time, it felt like this was a closer call than last time. Perhaps the imminence of the event marked him a bit more profoundly this time around, it was the first time he remained conscious after being torn apart by Ruby's razor sharp wings, after all.

"So, you aren't human?!"

The last thing he wanted to do was attack. Still, the blood wouldn't last that long, and it was imperative that he end this while he was still able to command the abilities of a vampire. He charged off and attacked, throwing himself at her. He could feel her go limp, wrapped his arms around her, and mouthed a silent apology. He tried the best he could do make the landing softer. The youth held on to her tightly, all the while thinking about the fate he had been too late to alter.

"Forgive me, Ruby."

And with those last few words of parting, Tsukune's inert form fell unto Ruby's. Even asleep, he implored her forgiveness, just as his mind went blank yet again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One week after the Witch's Knoll incident; Yokai Academy's cliffs.

A good-for-nothing tried to molest his friend. The vampire couldn't be expected to hold back on such a lowly animal. He did not even bother to wait for the dazed teacher to regain his senses, he held him up by the neck and slowly tightened his grip. The bones cracked beneath the bruised skin, but it was not enough. Nothing short of Okuto Kotsubo's death would quench his thirst for carnage. He tried hard to stifle the laugh that bubbled up. How dare this pathetic make Mizore cry.

"Tsukune! Stop!" Moka implored from a distance.

Her pleading reached him and the need for destruction melted away in a flash. He dropped the kraken instructor and contemplated what he'd almost done. He could feel it, the vampire nature was returning to him, just as he remembered it. It overwhelmed him for he lacked the resilience he possessed all those years ago. Living as a human had taken a toll. In that instant, he foresaw that finding his way back when his human body gave way would be a more trying endeavored than he would have presumed. He continued to ponder the matter in utter silence until, once more, he was no more than a flicker in a more ignorant version of himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One day before the fight with the anti-schoolers; Yokai Academy's grounds.

This transition was the hardest one so far. It left him in pain and dizzy, not at all prepared to deal with three nuisances that took Moka hostage. The first had his back turned. His vision was blurry. He stretched out his head and the first assailant fell. The second one was a ways away, he was down soon thereafter. All that was left was a Saizo left in disbelief. He could tell he was yelling at him, but no more: the ringing in his ears was too loud. He grimaced as Saizo quickly followed the other two monstrels; one more annoyance had been dispatched. Soon his body reverted back; still, the amnesia hadn't set in yet. He could feel the tug coming; nonetheless, it was nothing compared to the last few times. And so, his mind slipped away, gently this time, relaxed by the comfort knowledge that it would be the last time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Six years and two months after the assimilation; Yokai Academy's abandoned dormitory.

Moka bit into him and gave as much blood as she could. She had long since cast away any measure of precaution; she knew what she risked unleashing but she could not bring herself to let the chance slip her by. His body was breaking down, she could feel the flesh around her fangs and around her fingers rippling, shuddering as it struggled to take in the potent blood that slowly went about molding itself. He was losing his humanity, the sweet lovable boy she protected so diligently, for whom she harbored so many hopes and dreams, his mortal coil fought with every ounce of power it had; she was forcing him to become something else entirely, something very dark, very evil. The gamble was taken, and the second he rose up and attacked the Anti-schooler that took her prisoner, Moka knew she lost the wager. Despair settled in as the sweet and kind-hearted youth laughed a twisted laugh, an unholy raucous of noise closer to a wounded animal crying out for an end to his suffering that any laugh she heard a human or monster produce.

The ghoul, unaffected by the water that dripped, continued to punch and kick with all the glee a bloodthirsty animal had for its occupation. The blood that flowed from the monstrel's wounds only excited him more, provoking him to be as savage as the nature that overtook him. Moka looked on, waiting for Yukari to shut off the sprinklers that kept her from stopping the monstrosity; she dreaded this moment ever since she first infused him with her blood; she thought she would have more time, that the blood wasn't affecting him this severely.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered under her breath.

The creature paused. His back itched. Slowly but surely, he could feel the irritable sensation on his skin burned brighter with every passing second. The pain turned excruciating, every inch of his body yelled out. Vainly, the beast struggled, ripping off his wet shirt did nothing to alleviate the torture.

"Tsukune?" Kurumu tentatively asked, fearful that her Mate of Fate was acting so strangely.

The gang was assembled. They watched as the once jovial ghoul now contorted itself in abject suffering, the howling was deafening. Moka wasted no time, she knew what she was up against. With the water no longer flowing, she sized up her target and drew from the full specter of her power as it flowed back into her. By some miracle, the abomination was distracted, she had the perfect opening. The ghoul narrowly dodged the red-eyed vampire's kick; he wanted to attack, but the humidity sapped his strength. Avoiding the blows as they came was already a daunting task to the former human, now driven by pure instinct.

"What are you doing!?"

The silver-haired vampire leaped back but did not let the ghoul out of her sight; the succubus' accusatory tone barely registered. "That isn't Tsukune anymore."

"What?"

"His humanity has been corroded, he's a ghoul now."

Still, the blue-haired temptress cried out in protest, begging her to let him live. That insolent little brat had no idea how badly she wanted to do just that. Were the choice hers, she would whisk the boy away and take him far away from here, but it wasn't. Not only that, she recognized that gleam that crossed those once innocent almond eyes: it was the same urges that woke her up every morning and rocked her back to sleep every night; it was the unrelenting need to kill, to destroy; the unique blend of maddening contentment and malign joy derived from bringing others to ruin. She couldn't take him away, he was already gone. She couldn't preserve his body, it would be an insult to Tsukune's memory than to leave that thing to roam around freely, masquerading as the gentle soul that dwelt there. She couldn't bring the boy back, nothing was left in that shell. All she could do was end this and grieve.

"_I'm so sorry, Tsukune. You deserved better than this; you deserved better than me..._" She yelled out the youth's name and charged in for the decisive blow. She was barely inches away from his face when something gave her pause. In the deepest recess of his mind, tucked away deeply inside the most profound part of him, a spark of the former human ignited. She watched the flame of consciousness illuminate his features, set his eyes ablaze with renewed vigor and comprehension. For one brief and shining moment, she imagined seeing the love of her life back in control, faced with impossible odds. The glint of sentience took color, replacing the empty brown irises with the vivid color of the blood their kind so adored. The pupils narrowed, becoming the renowned slits that haunted the dreams of humans and monsters alike. In that instant, she was about to forget all that happened and cry his name to the heavens. The feel of a feathery rope encircled her ankles and wrists, snapping her back to reality. Before she could fully turn her attention to the assailant, she was drawn back and left suspended several feet off the ground.

"Not so fast, Ms. Akashiya. It would be a shame to kill such a promising pupil," the groggy Tsukune Aono, now returning to his former self, knew that chilling laughter that followed all too well.

"Free me!" she growled.

"So ungrateful… and to the person who is about to save your friend, no less."

Wh-What's going on?" Tsukune weakly mumbled, still somewhat drowsy.

The Chairman hurried and brought the crucifix up to the boy's forehead. His body convulsed as the seals were set into place. The knowing glance the two exchanged was all they needed to understand, they were both fully appraised of the ongoing situation. The newly remade vampire wanted to ask how, even as his body was locked away for the second time. The blood in his veins calmed itself, the need for violence was being quelled; and yet, unlike the past experiences he had dealing with the aftermath of Moka's blood, he recalled the entirety of his past two lives without the faintest trace of difficulty.

"Be quiet, son, or you'll jeopardize Akasha's plan. We'll speak later."

That sentence was the last thing he heard. After that, he drifted off to sleep, gladdened that he was complete.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The gang anxiously waited outside of Tsukune's room hospital room. Now that his powers were sealed, they were more than willing to give him a little time to adjust. What went on behind the closed doors, between the Exorcist and the recently recreated vampire, was a conversation altogether different from what they would have been led to believe.

There was a moment of silence as Tsukune propped himself upright and examined the individual who lurked at his bedside. Mikogami was in the corner, smiling the whole time. Neither were expecting small talk to break the ice. They knew each other too well by now to try and pretend like this was their first meeting.

"You remember," the boy stated with a sigh. No matter how many times this happened, he always hated to see the Chairman be the most well-informed person. This annoyed him to no end.

"Akasha told me the same night you went to see her. A portion of the memories you carried were mine. But enough about that, you must have many questions."

Truth be told, there was only one that obsessed him whenever he had a spare moment to think about his previous life. "Why did she send me away?"

"To avoid compromising the future, of course. Thanks to this, we have a roadmap of the future. Every move Fairy Tale or Alucard will try to make is known to us. Why would we compromise that advantage?"

"Why not tell me this before making me leave?"

"Would you have listened if you knew?" Hearing no retort, the Headmaster's grin only grew more sinister. "I didn't think so."

"But I remember everything, it all ends up being the same."

"Not so. You used to be a liability. Now, you're our best trump card: a First Ancestor masquerading as a sealed ghoul. Can you see the potential?"

Then it dawned on him. A pivotal moment was about to come up. An event in time that, if altered, would shift the balance of power in their favor. They wanted to sabotage Fairy Tale without their knowledge. Eliminate two high-ranking agents whose true allegiances lied with a far more macabre foe.

"You want me to bring in Hokuto."

"Precisely. Repeat what you did last time and we will be one step closer to our ultimate goal."

"Alucard," Tsukune stated matter-of-factly.

"Quite right."

"What about Moka and the others?"

"They can't know. Not yet, at least."

As much as the rest of the plan was to his liking, he had some trepidation about lying to his friends; he could easily surmise that this was one of the reasons Akasha sent him off to be assimilated in the first place. "It isn't fair to them, they have a right to know."

"A right? You may be correct," he pensively conceded. "For now, pretend like this never happened. I promise they will be told in time. "

The Chairman rose up and made his way to the door. They'd come to an agreement, his business here was concluded. Besides, he could sense the two witches on the other side of the door trying to break through the wards that prevented them from eavesdropping: it seemed it outstayed his welcome. He also felt the rumbling of the monstrel nurse downstairs, as did the boy; the next act of the play was about to commence, and it would be dangerous for him to stay in the vicinity: Hokuto had to believe the ruse.

However, Tsukune was of a different opinion. There was still one detail he desired to know. Considering that the Headmaster was as aware of the future as he was, he was perhaps the only person who might humor him on this topic. "There's one more question I want to ask: What did it feel like to die?"

"Well, it was strange. I imagine it would be oddly similar to being set on a collision course with a speeding bicycle."


	7. Chapter 7

**Soon To Be Troubled.**

* * *

"_No one but a woman can help a man when he is in trouble of the heart."_

― _Bram Stoker, Dracula_

* * *

The guards were sound asleep, now was the time to act.

It was with the utmost care that Kiriya entered. Carefully, he placed one foot before the other in a deliberately slow fashion. There was no telling what other traps might have been laid by the Chairman, the ex-second-in-command knew the Dark Lord to be paranoid. He glanced back at the two snoring monsters, slumped together side by side; the first line of defense was woefully lacking in ability. Perhaps Kiriya had caught a break: Mikogami could have ruled out an escape attempt as impossible and foolhardy.

In any case, it was idiotic to outwear to linger and outwear his welcome. The monstrel unsheathed his scythe and went about waving it in the utter darkness the room was plunged in. He could sense Hokuto's faded energy, the noisy monitoring machinery and ragged breathing were also valid indications that this was the right room. His weapon glided through the air effortlessly. Kiriya noted the lack of any arcane wards with a grin; truly, if the Headmaster of Yokai Academy was this delusional, Alucard was right to put his plan in motion. He was not yet privy to all of the details, but he could hardly conceive that an enemy this ignorant would be able to hold his own against the greatest monster to have ever walked the earth.

His grin soon faded. Something was wrong. He continued to tug on his scythe a little. Though it did not encounter resistance, he felt his tool pry itself from his grasp: some unseen force was pulling it away. He held on as best he could, his mind raced to find a solution to this conundrum Only another monster's aura could force his weapon to yield, automatic wards lacked the finesse to disarm a foe. Still, he did not pick up any other living being in this room. How could this be? His epiphany was met with a dark chuckle that came from the deepest corner of the room. There was one other possibility: the opponent in question would hold power the lacks he could not even sense. His adversary was leagues beyond his reach. Only one monster in the Academy held this much power.

"Mr. Yoshie. How good of you to come by and see us," the disembodied voice echoed all around the less powerful monster.

As soon as the voice was heard, the strain on the scythe grew exponentially. Instead of simply being ripped out of his hands, the arcane artifact snapped in two, with it fell away a measure of Kiriya's invested aura. All he could do was watch as the broken scythe melted away in his hands. He stood even less of a chance now. Regardless, he tried to think of an escape route.

"Oh, I'm afraid you will not be leaving any time soon," the voice continued. In the corner, two orbs of light opened. A flash of yellow invaded the room, fading as the electric lights overhead switched on and carried out their appointed task. "But enough with the pleasantries, let's talk for a bit."

By Hokuto's bedside sat the Headmaster, cloaked in his usual priestly attire. The orbs of light, filled with amusement; the sinister grin, mockingly observing with imperious contempt; those were intended for the foolish new arrival. The folds of his robes rescinded, revealing the crucifix-resembling object that made quick work of Kiriya's sole protection against the unexpected.

He called out to a shadowy figure that had bid its time in the corridor, "Jasmine."

'Yes?"

The voice was one Kiriya knew only from reputation: The second youngest of the Shuzen family. She was rumored to act as Issa Shuzen's bodyguard ever since she took him under her wing. The patriarch of the clan never was far from his protégée. To retain the Shuzen's services was only done when the client had no one else to turn to. And Kiriya was intelligent enough to know that the Headmaster would expend these kinds of resources if he suspected his greatest enemy to be working behind the scenes. That meant…

"How did you know?"

The Headmaster refused to answer the question. Instead, he once again spoke to the red-eyed predator that was to take the monstrel into custody. "Would you please come in and help us move this along. I presume that Mr. Yoshie might be needing a little… um…'encouragement'."

"Right away," Jasmine chipped before setting foot past the threshold and shutting the door behind her.

She went about interrogating the monstrel with as much gusto as she was fabled to possess. She enjoyed her job immensely; however, that was not the source of her upbeat demeanor. Recently, she and her adoptive father accepted a contract that the Academy had set. The target's identity and ensuing job description made her giddy with anticipation. Interrogating the monster was just the warmup; she could hardly wait to see that hopeless big brother of hers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The gang watched the fireworks changed the sky from a patch of black to a colorful mix of green, red, blue and yellow. It was the Halloween Homecoming's official opening. Twice now, the boy slaved away as the errand boy for the Festival Committee. Twice now, he was forced to take down his supervisor and fellow human-turned-monster. And he was capable of affirming without the slightest doubt that neither of those things had been any easier the second time around. To top it all off, he had to be extremely careful when using his powers. He did his best to fake being a ghoul, the seal played its role admirably, but he could tell that his friends were growing more suspicious by the day.

Yukari watched the spectacle with awe, much-like any child her age would. And yet, those same eyes that peered up at the sky with wonder also hid a level of intellect only the greatest of geniuses had the pleasure of sharing: she was fascinated by both the show of lights and the clumsy efforts Tsukune made to conceal something very important about his ghoul condition. He did not act like he should at all. His stance was too well honed, his moves had been practiced, and his demeanor was that of a seasoned fighter. She couldn't make heads or tails of this, her research of ghouls indicated that the opposite should have happened. Even when sealed, a ghoul behaved more primal-like when engaged in combat, the discipline would have to be acquired through very arduous training.

So when and where did he get that training? As a human, Tsukune stayed away from fights. His middle-school and elementary school records, after being expertly hacked, confirmed the ex-human's pacifism. The transformation took place not long ago, and there wasn't even remotely enough time for him to train. This was all extremely peculiar.

Inner Moka was getting curious too, Yukari saw it etched upon her face amid the customary cold expression she sported every time she came out of her slumber. If a first-class vampire like Inner Moka was stumped by a phenomenon engendered by vampire blood, it had to be extremely rare or a first time occurrence. Tsukune was handling the transformation with complete ease as well, one more reason for suspecting he might know more than he's letting on. Alas, approaching him directly would put him on his guard; and a guarded Tsukune was more difficult to crack than any magical seal she ever dealt with.

Her gaze had drifted off at some point in her daydreaming and fixated itself on the object of her concern; noticing this, she hurriedly averted her eyes and stared back up at the stars. There wasn't a cloud visible in the sky, there never were any past sunset, the barrier's weather pattern was most agreeable come dusk so as to benefit the nocturnal students that required a midnight stroll through the woods. Witches were among those monsters, nighttime divination was a relaxing tradition that many of her kind partook in. Speaking of which, the young genius and her older raven-haired comrade were planning to try just that. It was she who pointed out Tsukune's eerie capacity to adapt so masterfully; Yukari may have been smart but the Headmaster's assistant was perceptive, moreso than most others.

A crow cawed overhead just as the fireworks waned: the appointed time was drawing near. Ruby was quick to come up beside her and, together, they told the rest of they would meet them after taking care of a few errands.

"Careful," Outer Moka warned, "there's a lot of people on campus tonight."

All the alumni that were willing and able to come back to the Academy were welcomed during this event, no matter how unsavory their student records were. "We'll be careful," Yukari happily retorted as the two waved goodbye and took their leave.

Kurumu and Mizore also excused themselves soon thereafter: their mothers were waiting for them at the bus stop. Only Moka remained in Tsukune's company; unfortunately, she was hoping for such an opportunity to speak to him alone.

"Tsukune?" Moka tentatively asked, nervous over what her favor entailed.

"What is it, Moka?' Her uneasy expression was making him uncomfortable in turn.

"Inner wants to talk to you."

To say that the boy was apprehensive at the idea would have been an understatement. In all the years he'd known, both in this timeline and the previous one, having Inner Moka request an audience never boded well. "Um… How come?"

She ignored his question as the voice inside her head continued to nag her into indulging it. She thrust out her chest and expectantly waited for Tsukune to grab the seal and pull at it. He hesitated to do so and she empathized with her love's plight. Alas, Inner Moka was not so easily swayed, and there were several questions that the pink-haired monster also wanted to get straight that she could never do if she tried asking him directly. As much as she may resent the idea, her sterner alter ego had a way about her when it came to extracting information. She quickly took his hand into hers and wrapped it around the rosario. Momentarily distracted by the warm contact, he hurriedly yanked himself out of her grasp as soon as he caught on. He looked down at his hand and realized, with no small amount of dread, he did exactly what she hoped he would do. His fingers were still wrapped around the silver jewel, the red orb in its center turned several shades darker as the switch took place. He eyes went upward, back to the vampire beauty that anxiously requested his aid mere seconds ago. In her place was the equally dazzling ruby-eyed counterpart.

"Evening… Tsukune."

"Oh… Uh… Hey, Moka," he stuttered as her usually cold disposition felt downright hostile after her awakening. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Barely fully awake and she already was irritated beyond reason. "Drop the act, you know what I'm going to ask."

He had a fleeting suspicion of what she could be referring to, though he prayed he was wrong on that count. If he wasn't, this conversation had a good chance of turning ugly. His only strategy was to play stupid for the time being and see where this went. "No… I really have no-"

"Who trained you?" She interrupted him. Seeing him at a loss for words, she pressed on, eager to have him confess. "I'll ask again: Who trained you?

It was pointless to pretend now. Neither of Moka Akashiya's incarnations, whether clone or otherwise, were fools. He couldn't come outright and tell her, he swore the Chairman he wouldn't. Despite that, the urge to come clean was creeping up on him. He wanted to tell her so terribly, yet he couldn't. Regardless, he was under no obligation to deny she was right to suspect something. Quelling her fears by meeting her halfway was his last option.

"Look, Moka, I know this looks strange but I promise I will-"

"Lie to me?" She dryly cut in. Every word he uttered somehow made her anger soar higher. "I can understand you would try and hide it from others, I really do. If someone found out that you were a ghoul, they would think you still were and you'd have the advantage if it came to blows; and I applaud you for not being forthcoming with who taught you to fight with the others, a good fighter never leaves himself without an ace up their sleeve; but what I can neither understand nor forgive is that you would neglect to tell **me**. So I'll ask one more time: Who. Trained. You?"

"Do you trust me?"

The silver-haired creature was taken aback by the sudden and unexpected question. Did she trust him? Up until recently, she would've laid done her life if he told her to. Now, in light of all the mysteries Tsukune wrapped himself up in that he refused to divulge, she was having second thoughts.

She was lying to herself. It wasn't the boy she did not trust, she felt the connection they forged over the last year remained intact. It was herself she had doubts about. More precisely, she feared that it was her blood that had created a new condition; a condition that very well could harm the boy she loved more than descent into ghouldom.

The boy she loved? The moment of clarity surprised her. When did she start thinking like that?

"Why?" Moka carefully inquired. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because if you do, I want you to trust that I will tell you the whole story very soon."

"Why not now?"

"I swore I wouldn't."

"To who?"

"The Headmaster."

She sighed in exasperation. The Chairman always was connected in some manner to the strange going-ons of the Academy. Very well, if one of the three Dark Lords saw to it, she supposed that the bizarre affair would be resolved. She would get her answers at some point, but she would settle with asking one last question that her heart wanted answered so terribly. Love between a vampire and a human or ghoul was unfeasible because of social stigma and the gap in life expectancy. Still, she could not deny she was somewhat drawn to the goofy boy. She might have the slightest hint of a crush, she conceded. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she felt yet, so intent was she to suppress any emotional attachment she held other than pure amicable friendship. It could just be a case of mere exposure syndrome and she had the whole thing backwards. Nevertheless, it was her duty to confirm one thing before she either tried to understand what ached her or forgot about her feelings.

"Then can you tell me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Are you a ghoul or…"

This worked out for the best. Moka was willing to overlook his strange behavior if he answered a harmless query. It worked out too well, in his opinion. What was he missing? It hardly mattered now. As for her curiosity, he supposed it wouldn't do anyone any harm if he let her know what he turned into. His hand flew up to the Holy Lock still wrapped around his forearm, its existence was burdensome, but a necessity for the time being. He pulled it ever so gently, the chains gently came apart without any sort of resistance. When the last piece of the Lock came undone, his appearance changed as the soft aura around him turned more sinister. He had to be careful not to release too much power. Alucard was still fast asleep, and his power was indirectly derived from the slumbering titan. He was just as much of a liability as was the person who stared at him with some measure of disbelief.

His features, his aura, they belonged to a vampire, she could tell that much by simply glimpsing at him. Incredible, his power no longer felt twisted. It felt pure, as it should have been. A small smirk crept up on her.

"That's all I wanted to know. Thank you, Tsukune."

With that, she ripped her seal out of his hands and set back onto her black chocker. As he had practiced so many time before, he caught her before she fell. Held her in his arms as the silver hair turned pink and the furrowed brow softened. He pondered what he should do next when he felt Outer Moka buried herself into his arms as she tried to pry herself away from the grogginess. Her emerald eyes opened and fixated him with care. She saw the same red-eyes and elongated canines her more severe alter ego witnessed, and somehow, just like it did for inner Moka, what she saw felt right.

"Morning," Moka mumbled with a smile.

"Evening," he replied with a smile of his own.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask,' she fidgeted. 'Do you have any plans for the festival tomorrow?"

"Not really. Just sort of figured I'd go around the stalls."

"Right..." She whispered. Now that the occasion had finally presented itself, she could feel herself getting cold feet. Noticing that she was still in his arms, Moka promptly stood up and brushed off her skirt with enthusiasm. In truth, she needed a distraction. Still, regardless of how much effort she put into it, the words couldn't pass her lips. So she contended with some more small talk. "Since your parents are human, they can't exactly come here, can they?"

"Yeah."

Though he was curious how he would handle Kyo's sudden appearance on the festival's second day. For all intents and purposes, he was still drawing a blank. Letting things play out like last time would be the easiest course of action but he couldn't help feeling conflicted. He didn't want to risk mocking things up with his cousin on school grounds. It was one thing to deal with the usual nuisances since present company was exclusively made up of monsters, having a human along for the ride was riskier. All it would take is a single slash and he wasn't sure Kyoko would make it.

"I know how you feel. My family never comes to visit me."

"Really?" Tsukune feigned ignorance.

It was a strange thing than to know more about your love interest's family than even they did. Akua swore to stay away so there was no chance you'd catch her around these parts. Kahlua was just an extension of her mother's will at this point, likewise an improbable candidate for a visit. Kokoa was surely trying to dig up her sister's exact whereabouts. As for her father… He considered the possibility for a few moments. Yet another thing he made a mental note of, the Chairman should have the answers he sought.

"Yup. I guess we're kind of in the same boat," she had her opening! "Maybe we could spend the festival together?" She hopefully asked. "Y'know, just for tomorrow or something."

"Sounds fun."

"Great," she blushed, "I guess I'll head back now. Will you walk with me?"

"I have a few things I need to take care of before calling it a night."

"Okay," she replied with a fake smile. She knew she pushed for too much too quickly. "See ya."

And with a wave, she headed on back to the dormitory. As soon as her shadow vanished from view, Tsukune shot forth and went in the opposite direction. He was going to have a long talk with the Headmaster, this could no longer be avoided. As he neared the main administrative complex, he felt an ominous chill pass through him; the Chairman was expecting him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Please come in, my boy."

The young vampire was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened, seemingly of its own volition, and he heard the Chairman, still hidden by the darkness that veiled his office, invite him to enter. He passed the threshold without a second thought and was assaulted by the outburst of light. The boy looked back at where he previously stood and noticed that not a single ray crossed the doorway. Realizing that a strange magical ward was at work, he briefly pondered why Mikogami would go through all the trouble. He merely had to let his eyes adjust to the invasive luminosity and quickly glance at the other side of the room to know why. The Chairman was not alone: before him sat a very familiar figure.

The visitor kept his gaze on the youth. The chiseled features of the renowned monster were graced by an unsurprised look.

"You were expecting me," the boy

"Yes." The Chairman grinned, he then gestured at his already seated guest. "I'm sure no introductions are necessary. You've met before."

"Did Akasha tell you about me?"

"The very same night you came to my home," Issa answered with all the dignity he knew him to possess. Despite having the same laidback attitude, he felt something akin to elegance when he saw the elder vampire carry himself.

"Speaking of which," Mikogami interjected, "that is why we were waiting for you to stop by my office."

Tsukune was perplexed. Surely whatever the Chairman wanted to speak about was urgent. Why would he not summon him posthaste? Especially when considering the opportune timing of the elder vampire and his protégée's visit to Yokai Academy. He would suspect that it was all a coincidence, but he had been acquainted with the scheming Dark Lord's underhanded ways for far too long to rack it up to extreme luck.

"I wished to avoid calling you in too many times in a row. Too many eyebrows would have been raised if the faculty saw you coming in here repeatedly. It would be better for everyone involved if you came here without any…" The Chairman cleared his throat as he pondered which word would prove most adequate. "…'encouragement' on my part."

Tsukune despised the way in which the Headmaster always was able to guess what he was thinking. However, he had to give credit where credit was due. Out of the entire school year, the festival was the only night when teachers were not actively trying to pry into administrative business that was above their paygrade. Securing campus grounds for the imminent return of the school's past students took up every waking moment they had, it was the best time to act.

The Chairman cleared his throat and continued once the thoughtful silence ran its intended course, he turned to Issa Shuzen in earnest. "Now, where were we? Ah yes, I believe you will have all the space you require. Will you take the job?"

The elder vampire considered the proposal for a moment. He remained perfectly still as his slightly inclined head displayed some measure of concentration. Finally, just as Tsukune had begun to wonder if the vampire had died in his seat, he spoke up with small smile that contrasted with the cold demeanor he was used to seeing the patriarch display.

"The terms are more than generous. I would like to start as soon as possible."

"Excellent. Tsukune," Mikogami intonated for the young student's benefit who, up to this point, had been all but left out of the conversation, "as of now, and in light of recent developments, I've felt the need to hire the Shuzen household to act as your instructors."

"Instructors?" The teen repeated with a puzzled look.

"Yes. A few among them have been hired to train you. I'm sure you can imagine what for."

Tsukune's expression went from confused to determinate as he envisioned what the Chairman alluded to: a confrontation with Alucard himself. He yearned for that opportunity with every fiber of his beings. And if being trained by the Shuzen clan was the way to make that happen, he would accept without a word of protest. Though he did wonder how he would keep this a secret from the Newspaper Club.

Nevertheless, he had to focus on the here and now. He ceremoniously turned towards the seated assassin and bowed deeply in recognition, "I look forward to learning from you, Mr. Shuzen."

"As I look forward to training you," Issa returned the formal acknowledgment with one of his own, before moving on to a topic that made his smile seem nearly as sinister as the Headmaster's plastered grin. "But there is one thing I'd like to ask: what is your relationship with my daughter?"

"Your daughter?"

"Yes, Moka," he tranquilly replied, his eyes now staring holes into the boy. "But since you mention it, I could ask you the same of your relationship with Akua and Jasmine. And I do believe I overheard something about an arrangement that's been made to have my Kahlua marry."

"Well, ah… Y'know, it's really nothing… I… Um… We're friends… Just friends… Uh…"

"I see," the newly hired trainer pleasantly answered as his traits seemed to soften nearly instantly.

"You do?"

"Absolutely. I see there's no need for me to hold back. I'll be sure to reform you inside and out, Tsukune."


	8. Chapter 8

**Cry, Little Sister**

**Enjoy:**

* * *

_"I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air." _  
_ ― Bram Stoker, Dracula _

* * *

3 days later.

After a hard day's work, the hooded figure finally was allowed the luxury of collapsing on her bed. The door was locked, her tasks were complete; no one would bother Akua for the rest of the day, she was quasi-certain of it. It took years, but finally, she had come this far. Her self-appointed task finished, the seal was now softly glowing blue a few hundred meters beneath her own feet. In the bowels of the flying fortress was one of the most complicated annulment fields ever created, put in place in the event that, should Moka be resealed after they've made contact, there would be a backup plan just in case. The vampire sighed, all these years of work for this single moment of accomplishment. So much sweat and blood went into that clunky thing, and she knew that, if she had to do it all over again, she would happily repeat the procedure as many times as necessary. She would do anything for Moka; anything to free her from that accursed seal.

Earl Grey was on her lap in seconds, joyfully propping himself up and licking his master's face as if there were no tomorrow. Akua's smile became more pronounced as the pet went about his usual routine. "Miss me, boy?" She lazily patted his head, too tired to do anything more strenuous. The dog merely barked an affirmative reply and returned to his normal, incorrigible behavior.

A few minutes passed like that, she recuperated some of the energy she spent completed the field slowly. Truth be told, she didn't want to do anything else. Sleeping sounded like the soundest idea she'd had all week. Gyokuro had berated her with questions all throughout the process; Kahlua had been just as much of a nuisance whenever her mother was called to do something other than supervise her daughter-in-law; not doing anything was complete bliss. It was then that, in the corner of her eye, she spotted the familiar gleam of the vestments she kept on display: a shrine in honor of her long-lost friend, mentor, and love.

"Don't look at me like that," she whispered with a slight blush, embarrassed at how weak she must've looked right then, "I earned a break after all the hard work I put in."

The soulless mask remained silent; nevertheless, she could imagine what Tsukune's reaction would have been. Depending on the situation, she fantasized about how he would either praise her for coming this far or lecture her on how she should stay active. He would pat her on the head and grin that goofy smile as he always did in these types of situations. She missed him so much.

Ultimately, she propped herself back up and made a bee-line to the makeshift shrine. A copy of the mask and the coat he wore while undercover were on display. She did not require anything else to remember him, his face was still fresh in her mind after nearly a decade of absence. They say the heart grows fonder with longing, hers was about to burst after the countless nights she thought of him. She was yearning to see him walk through that door like nothing had happened and laugh it all off, apologizing for being so late. It was a fantasy she knew would never come true, but she stayed committed to finding him, even if she had to keep at it for eternity.

"Why did you us?" She asked the mannequin, a tear inching down her cheek. With no one around, she could afford to let her emotions run rampant at times. "Why did you leave me?"

As was the norm, no answer came to satisfy her aching heart. She gripped the sleeve and push herself up against the empty coat. When the time came, she would return these to their rightful owner with glee. Until then, this was hers. One last memory of the soft-spoken boy she knew was one of the few to ever understand her. In that moment, she reminisced about hat day in the gardens. He swore he'd come back, what took him so long? It didn't matter. Whatever was the cause, she'd find him. As soon as she freed Moka, she'd head out and focus her search on him. Then, Jasmine would join them, and they would finally become a proper family.

There was a knock at the door, loud enough to startled Akua, leaving her to curse herself for not keeping her guard up at all times. "Ms. Shuzen, the report as you requested."

The door flung open and she grabbed the letter from the shaking underling's terrified hands. The fear she inspired within them was an interesting byproduct of her reputation, she mused. The underling stayed at attention as his superior went about perusing the report she'd ordered to have compiled. The stern expression she put on for the Fairy Tale soldier soften a tad as she looked over Moka's status. She just transferred to Yokai Academy, as expected. She was surrounded by a gang of friends, Akua was glad she was developing a social life while at school. Her seal had been removed several times in the past, certainly an interesting tidbit of knowledge: it wouldn't be long before the seal would start weakening, then. And finally, the only who seemed capable of removing Akasha's construct was a young boy whose name was…

She did a double take, then a triple take. Her eyes fixated on the name. The severe look returned to her features, compounded by a fire that burned within her blazing eyes, indicative of her desire to murder the subordinate. Said subordinate's legs were about to give out underneath him. She gestured towards the name and pointed expectantly for the grunt's benefit. "Is this name correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nervously gulped.

"Were pictures taken?"

"Yes, I have them right-"

"Give them to me," she nearly yelled.

His shaking hands dove into his pocket and pulled out a small envelop, somewhat crumpled up by the trip to headquarters. Without another word, she yanked those of his grasp too, her eyes shifted back and forth between the photographs and the letter with a zeal the grunt had never seen possessed: he was more than a little intimidated by it. The fearsome Shuzen woman shot past him in a flash without any prior warning, leaving the underling to trail behind her, desperately trying to keep up with her quick pace.

"Ma'am?"

"Tell Gyokuro I'm taking a few days off."

He wasn't sure that was permitted, but contradicting Akua Shuzen's were a death sentence he wasn't about to take unto himself. If those insane vampires had a problem, they could duck it out amongst themselves for all he cared, it was not worth getting beheaded. "At once."

The underling excused himself and headed directly for the charismatic leader's office. Notifying her immediately was the best chance he had of not getting blamed for failing in his duties. He prayed Lady Gyokuro was less temperamental than her daughter-in-law. As for Akua, she could not, for the life of her, care less about the subordinate's life. Fairy Tale as a whole was so far removed from her concerns that where she was barely registered. The prospect of seeing one of the people she cared for replaced all other doubts and concerns, and as she boarded the shuttle departing from the Hanging Gardens, some small part of her still aware of her station pondered that that was a good thing: Gyokuro was going to blow a fuse when news gets to her. Now that the errant thought crossed her mind, she could have sworn she heard Gyokuro screaming at the top of her lungs.

Oh well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The bus pulled away with Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore side by side, their faces a mixture of exasperation and longing as they smooshed themselves against the tinted back window of the school's schedule. They clamored for Tsukune to come save them or, at the very least, to not forget about them over the break. Alas, the boy had greater preoccupations then humoring his friends on this sunny afternoon.

The school festivities were bumpier than last time. Still, it all ended as it should, though Kyoko turned out to be a little more forceful this time around: she wanted a detailed explanation, something the youth wasn't entirely sure he could give. No amount of explaining was going to convince her that returning to the Academy was a good idea, not when he saw the dreaded determined gleam in her eye. Difficulties were abounding, and right when he hoped he would receive a welcomed reprieve.

His training was due to start on the first day back at school, a full half a year from now. He stood out on the sidewalk contemplating the whole situation, made even more ludicrous than last time by virtue of its repetitive nature. The Headmaster saw it coming, but he still left half the school be demolished to preserve appearances; had he seen it coming the first time, as well?

Bah. The more he considered it, the more this left him scratching his head; should half the monster world be put in danger, would Mikogami be as willing to sacrifice them if it meant getting rid of Alucard? What was the point of realism if it did the enemy's work for them? How far would they go to confront their sworn nemesis? Was this for the greater good or a vendetta for the way he devoured their friend? Akasha, he knew intimately enough to be confident she would be a little milder in her approach. Mikogami and Tohofuhai, he conceded, were wild cards.

"Tsukune, there you are. I'm going to go shop for groceries and bye a lottery ticket. Anything you want? Any numbers you'd recommend?"

"Twelve, thirty-five, forty-three and ninety-two."

"My, where did you get those numbers from?"

"Osmosis, I guess."

"Well, if they're right, I'll be making a stop at every shrine on the way home and thanking whatever spirits whispered that into your ear," she jokingly replied; however, he was reasonably assured that she would be doing just that in an hour or two. "Are you heading out, too?"

"I'm gonna go for a walk. See if some of my friends from middle school want to hang out for a bit."

"That's good," she beamed with a mother's pride at seeing her child actually wanting to get out and be with friends. "Be sure to get home before your father does, I don't want to have to reheat your meal."

With her handbasket's handle around her forearm, and those words of parting to her son uttered, she headed to do what she promised, turning the corner at the end of the street and disappearing from sight. Tsukune was still standing in the exact same place, still mulling over what his next move should be. He grunted after a short while, it could wait. There was no pressing business, he should just put it out of his mind for now and come back to it at a later time. Time was not of the essence, and honestly, he was curious to see what his ex-schoolmates were up to. Last time around, he barely had time to see them. Instead, he spent most of the day holed up in his room, staring at the calendar, hoping the break would end quickly and he would get to go back to Yokai.

He would do things differently this time around. He was going to go out, do stuff and have fun… maybe. School was still in session for just about everyone else. Odds were he wouldn't run into any acquaintances before the early evening hours. Kyoko was at work, so having 'the talk' was not an option. He gently scratched the back of his neck with a thoughtful glance at his home; that walk was looking more appealing by the minute.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Akua was just another face in the crowd, silently watching as her once grandiose protector marched with a more subdued look than ever she saw on him. His mannerism were different, he was scrawnier than before, heck, even his red irises and lighter shade of brown were absent. This version of Tsukune Aono was a world apart from the man she knew back then. Yet, somehow, that core spark she saw back then persisted; what made Tsukune the person she loved inhabited the frailer body as it did the body of the man who saved her.

She was anxious. Her hands constantly darting between smoothing out her dress and fidgeting. She hoped his enhanced senses would pick her out of the crowd, but it seemed his senses had been dulled over the long span of time they spent apart. Now that she got a good look, he was younger looking. At first, it defied understanding; but the more she tried to put two and two together, the clearer the picture became.

What had Akasha done?

She continued to watch from afar, engulfed in the swarm of people that went to and fro. Tsukune was a mere few steps away from her now. With ease, she could stretch out her hand and touch him. The closer she came, the more she reconsidered, however. What if she were wrong? What if Tsukune had actually left because he didn't want her around? Could she handle that?

Akua tried to contain the tidal wave of emotions that drowned her. She had been so composed up to this point. She had to contain herself. If she didn't, then…

The boy's head turned, sensing the ominous aura that escaped from Akua in droves. For a fleeting moment, his form was very much akin to the one she recalled seeing. He was alert; his muscles contracted, ready to strike; his irises focused in preparation for battle, turning from round to slit in a beat. It was glorious.

Then, her face registered. His readiness faded; his expression, a mix of confusion and joy, softened as the rest of his body returned to a relaxed state. But the prodigal assassin was too distracted to note any change in his behavior. The only words she could formulate, amidst the tears that swelled in her eyes, were as follows; "You came back to me."

He saw her start to cry. And despite all the years that had passed, despite the numerous atrocities both have witnessed in that time, Akua Shuzen ran towards him with her arms outstretched in the culmination of heartfelt longing that spanned years, nary a care for family nor rank, much like her younger self would have. As for Tsukune, he returned the embrace in earnest, just as he would have done nearly a decade ago. It was a different time, a different place, but what the two felt remained the same while the rest of the world passed them by. A crowd of faceless bystanders who were blind the close friends' heartfelt reunion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Absolutely not," the dimension sword wielder denied his request for the tenth time since they sat down. She barely had enough time between refusals to sip the green tea she ordered; truly, Tsukune could be stubborn at times. How annoying.

"Will you at least hear me out?" Tsukune pleaded, bowing to such a low point that his head rested atop the metal table.

"There's nothing for me to hear out since this isn't gonna happen," she tranquilly responded, her eyes stuck on the mess of brown hair that begged her to reconsider.

"But I know I can do this. Weren't you the one who said you wanted to help me?"

His accusations feel on deaf ears. The mock sense of righteousness that he attach to these words were meaningless to the black-haired assassin. While she might have been crying her eyes out merely a half-hour ago, she had fully regained her composure and returned to a more familiar state: silent and imperious in the face of her helpless' idiot of a charge.

"Yes, but there's a difference between helping and assisting in suicide," she retorted once more.

Tsukune was not about to give up.

"It's not suicide. I know what I'm doing."

"Oh really?" She half-mocked. "Alright. Assuming you make it far enough to find Alucard's body, how are you going to release Akasha without the seal?"

There was an uninterrupted moment of silence. The brown-hair youth scratched his head pensively whilst the other vampire patiently waited for a response she was going to either be interesting or validate her point. "I'm still working on that part."

"Thought so. And the answer has now gone from a definite no to 'I will hit you upside the head if you keep talking about it' no. Care to keep trying?" The boy slumped forward in defeat. Much to Akua's delight, he waived the white flag, leaving her to steer the conversation in whichever way she desired. "So, how've you been doing?"

He did not immediately reply. Somehow, the customary "good, how about you?" felt wrong. Answering with the same words he used to qualify the time-traveling mess he's been tossed into ever since he first crashed into China seem a tad more honest that the hollow, albeit polite, readymade answer that nearly passed his lips. "Dealing with strange stuff," he admitted with a small smile.

She laughed at the ludicrous understatement, it was the third time she lost all control and impulsively reacted. "I could tell."

"You've grown," was all he could say. Keeping with the theme of understatements, this was the one thing that left a pain in the young woman's heart.

"And you haven't," her tone sounded bitter, regretful even.

"Yeah I-"

Her hand came up to interrupt him before those sad chocolate eyes made her cry anew. Once was quite enough for the veteran fighter, "Save it," she interjected, "I have a pretty good idea of what happened already."

"Oh. Figure it out?"

"Ever since we met that mini-you after we docked, I've had a pretty good gist of the situation."

"I didn't mean to leave you and Jasmine back there."

"It's fine. What matters is that you came back." _To me. _Suddenly, it dawned on her;"_Oh jeez,_ I need to call and let her know you're back, she'd be crossed with me if I didn't."

Tsukune considered his options. On one hand, he could foresee the coming calamity if he confessed to having seen Jasmine a few days prior. Not only that, but another topic would come up: Why was Jasmine at Yokai Academy in the first place. This had the potential of devolving into a very heated discussion; she was a Fairy Tale officer, after all. He kept his mouth shut and maintained his impassible appearance; Akua was too engrossed with the excuse she devised to spend some quality time with her young adopted sister to notice the stiffness of her friend's posture.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in equal measure between reminiscing and talking about the future. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. What's more, he was glad with how carefree Akua seemed to be. The memories of her former self, the one he'd met at Tohofuhai's, haunted him ever since he regained the memories of his past life. It was a weight off his shoulders, to know that the little girl he rescued turned out alright. Arguably, she still joined Fairy Tale, yet he could sense a distinct difference in her motives.

She claimed she wanted to create a better world for Moka and Jasmine, he was inclined to believe her. The inborn hatred she harbored for humans faded somewhat, and the Shuzen assassin acted as the enemy's agent only for lack of a more befitting alternative. With luck and time, he prayed, he could guide her onto a better path; one where Alucard did not ultimately win.

When he made his way back home, he was still so absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the crow that took flight, eager to report back to its mistress in the monster world.


	9. Chapter 9

**Strange Bedfellows, Stranger Allies**

**Enjoy:**

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"_Oh, my dear, if you only knew how strange is the matter regarding which I am here, it is you who would laugh."_

― _Bram Stoker, Dracula_

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The crow soared through the skies, flapping its wings with the occasional contented and guttural caw bursting forth from his dark beck. It was traveling back peacefully, leaving behind the worries of a multitude of faces it watched with intent back in the human world: returning home was his favorite time of the day, save for the familiar tugging at its feathers, stretching the flesh and distorting its senses. Suddenly, there came the shock; light surged from the base of the barrier and shot straight up, rushing through the air to hit the intruder. The crow lost all feeling, a necessary evil when traveling to Yokai; leaving the confines never posed a problem, it was returning home that initiated the defenses. The limp body plunged downward, pulled by the inescapable pull of the gravity. It continued on like that for a minute… then two. By the third minute, the creature opened its eyes and watched the patch of trees grow closer and closer.

With a small twitch of its body, it prodding to see if he felt any residual pain. Sensing none, it knew it had passed the barrier. Now free of the foreign constraint, it stretched its wings back out and glided through the forest. It continued its descent, but it was a softer one this time; an acquired technique the animal had learned through years of experience: it was glad Ruby had taught him how to travel.

Then it saw the familiar outline of the friendly form. She waved at it, throwing up her hands and ordering the creature to land. Once atop a branch within a close enough proximity, it gave its report with gusto.

"Ruby!" It cawed with zeal. "Akua Shuzen spotted in human world, Ruby! Akua Shuzen met Tsukune Aono, Ruby! Came back as soon as possible, Ruby!"

The witch's lips curled up into a smile before she resolved to softly petting the bird on its head, "Is there anything else you found out?" She softly murmured into the animal's ear, she appeared afraid of speaking too loudly.

"Nothing else, Ruby! Everything that's known, Ruby!"

"That's good enough," she thought out loud after a moment of deliberation.

The crow felt a shift in the surrounding aura. The wise beast, realizing it's been duped, immediately took flight, only to be brought down by the monster that had masqueraded as its mistress. The pleasant form of the Knoll-raised witch had been discarded, substituted by a swirling mass of sharpened claws that prevented the bird from escaping. The shape shifter still wore Ruby's face as if to mock the poor crow.

"Where are you going?" The predator purred. The bird did its best to dodge the oncoming flurry, but it was no match for her speed.

The claws came down viciously, and tore its body asunder, ripping through flesh and bone like knife through butter. Leaving the broken creature to fall limply on the ground, dead before the shape-shifter had finished the blow. Her work down, the impersonator reverted to a more human-like appearance, quite happy with the discovery she made regarding the whereabouts of one of the most dangerous assassin's in the world. The monster speedily made her way away from Academy grounds. Her mission now complete, she could bear to return home and inform her superior of the recent commotion that spread through the staff of the still devastated school. Lady Gyokuro would be so pleased with her, she might even consider giving her a promotion. This assignment would be worth it if she got rotated out of field work once in a blue moon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tsukune walked past the shops with a sigh. It was disheartening to see so many fun ways to spend his time pass him by. Yokai Academy might have been closed; conversely, that didn't mean he was given a free pass to lounge around the house all day. So, to keep his brain from rotting away, Kyoko decided cram school would be the best way to keep him stimulated while he was stuck at home. It was a sunny autumn morning: the birds were chirping, the chatter of friends resounded, and he was stuck marching on with nobody to talk to. All his friends were in the monster world. Well, all except for one very peculiar vampire who jumped from roof to roof, never letting the boy out of her sight.

She was disappointed. Here she was, all dressed up for what she considered a date, and her favorite ex-human was shanghaied into an institution directed by humans. The Chairman might not take too kindly to seeing her on campus, but at least there she knew that the facilities were friendly to their species. Past memories of the few humans she had to work with came to mind. Simply uttering the word monster got them on edge, she never understood why the Miao dealt with them at all. Having contacts was all well and good, but the more she saw how humans interacted with each other, the more she questioned Tsukune's undying allegiance to his former kind. They were shady at best and downright treacherous at their worst; monsters might be more brutal by nature, but most would air their grievances and fight rather than wait for someone's back to be turned. Was that how humans were taught to act in their schools?

She kept up a steady pace, expertly trailing him like a predator on the prowl. He looked lonely, perhaps she should go down there and keep him company until he reached his destination. It seemed like a sound idea, hiding out of view was getting boring. Without a moment's hesitation, she walked off the ledge and landed on the ground level with feline grace. No one had seen here fall into the alley, and from the darkened corridor, she emerged into the morning light and stepped into the growing mass of people. Ahead, she saw the boy stop, which drew a smile to her lips; she hadn't broadcasted her movements at all this time, his detection skills were being refined with diligent practice.

He turned to her with a smile of his own. Her heart skipped a beat as she waved at him, the two fell in step and walked at a brisk speed, intermingling with the crowd of humans as would any other average duo in the city, be they monsters in disguise or unsuspecting humans.

"You were trailing me for a long time," Tsukune noted.

"You noticed?" She offhandedly asked with feigned disinterest, he'd picked her up much faster than he should have, or so her pride whispered in her ear; she was supposed to be one of the greatest assassins alive for crying out, being made so quickly was more than a little vexing. Noticing her a bit earlier than expected meant he was training himself; detecting her presence the very minute she started leaping from building to building meant she was sloppy.

"Barely," he admitted with a small smile, "I wasn't sure until I turned around and your aura flared up for some reason. What was that about?"

"I was trying to get your attention," she lied, blushing at the thought that her emotions got the best of her. So much for her vaunted cold professionalism, she inwardly said with a great deal of disappointment in her own abilities. Wait… this wasn't a job! Surely she could be a little more lenient when it came to her own time. In fact, if memory served, she'd just taken her sabbatical; why should she be so hard on herself? To think that this came after years of swearing to be more open when it came to matters of the heart.

"Ah," he awkwardly retorted. It seemed like such a simple conclusion, he admonished himself internally for not catching on right away. A slight bout of embarrassed laughter followed before he continued, "I can't hang out with you today."

"Why!?" She turned around with the usual furrowed brow and vacant stare she always adopted when things didn't go her way, "is there someone else you're meeting?"

"No. Nothing like that," he replied tranquilly, oblivious to the possessiveness she displayed, "I have to go to cram school to catch up on the curriculum. We didn't have time to cover it all before the school was… Um, shut down."

"Cram school?" She repeated with a sour look.

'Yeah, never heard of it?"

"I was homeschooled when I was younger," said Akua as mulled the word around in her brain. She thought she could imagine what this entailed, and she did not abide the existence of anything that shortened her time with her beloved.

"Not much to say about it, to tell ya the truth. It does just what it says: it's a school where you cram," he tried his best to joke. She could tell he was about as happy at the prospect of going there as she was. He hunched forward, almost subdued by the idea of studying in what he assumed would be his break.

She sympathized and, should he only say the words, she would burn down the school for him. "You should've told me earlier."

'It was sorta last minute," Tsukune dejectedly admitted. His cousin had insisted quite a bit on making sure he received a well-rounded education, no matter the cost. She was right, he knew it. That alone did not necessarily have to imply he was okay with her decision, though.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to a halt in the middle of his stride. The mild smile faded, replaced by a serious look that bordered on pleading. "You don't _**have**_ to go," she noted. The two of them could skip out and head somewhere else. In fact, if he was so hell-bent on learning, she'd be overjoyed to show him a few tricks she picked in the couple of years they've been apart. Honing your body was as important as honing your mind, Moka always said. "We could go train."

He laughed and patted her head, ruffling her black hair with a goofy smirk. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up but I gotta do this. Be safe and behave," he playfully advised as he left, letting Akua recover from the daze the sudden contact had thrown her into.

"Damn," she muttered under her breath when she came to. There was no sign of him and she very well couldn't comb the entire city in search of the boy.

Disappointed the exchange did not go as she hoped, she turned around and reluctantly made her way back to her hideout in the less reputable part of the city. All plans for the day marred, she contemplated her options as she marched on, subconsciously and deftly avoiding the slightest contact with the human crowd that surrounded her.

Old habits die hard.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now, now. Why would Akua not tell me about her new beau?"

Kahlua pondered her mother's question for a few moments but found no answer that she could foresee convincing the head of Fairy Tale that their premiere assassin was still loyal to the organization above all else.

"I'm not sure," Kahlua confessed.

She could comprehend her sister not informing the liaison of the intimate details; some affairs are, after all, too private to be discussed with colleagues. What was really disconcerting were the lengths the eldest Shuzen went to drop below the family radar. What was so secretive that she couldn't confide in her own family? At this rate, they would never be the close-knit family she dreamed of having.

The live feed of their meeting in the sprawling human urban center faded, replaced with a copy of Tsukune Aono's newly created dossier. At first glance, he appeared so painfully average he could be mistaken as a human; then came Kuyo's testimony after being inducted into the group. He wasn't some run of the mill monster either, but a fully-fledged vampire to boot. A bona fide killing machine simply begging to be recruited. Or so that was the case until a significant discrepancy came up: all of his relatives were human.

Gyokuro's contempt for the boy was growing the disproportionate heights. Not only was he a ghoul – it was the only possible way to account for the strange string of circumstances that surrounded him – he was also friends with her brat of a daughter-in-law. Even unaware of her heritage, that little bitch proved to be a consistent thorn in her side. Plucking and tearing her asunder was going to be rewarding beyond measure.

"Maybe she wasn't ready to formally bring him into our fold yet," the matron joked. Her motherly tone and disposition never seemed out of place. That was one of her horrifying qualities. Much like her own daughter, that thin layer of innocence was neigh impossible to see through if you'd never dealt with her prior.

Kahlua remained silent as a compilation of pictures of the target and his immediate family replaced the documentation the screen displayed. She grasped her mother's intent quite quickly which was not surprising in the least, their two minds were quasi in synch after all these years. Nonetheless, she humored her mother and asked the question with a bout of fake naivety. Part of her wished she was wrong about her mother's plans. Alas, not so.

"What should we do?"

"I think it's time I introduced myself as any proper mother would."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun was lose to setting when classes let out. It was the first day back to the basis of human academics and, much like the curriculum taught at Yokai, Tsukune was given the opportunity to learn to hate it all over again. It was an art really, any average student was capable of admitting that much; the dullness of the affair made staring out the window and sighing at the soap opera in one's head a feasible goal for any teenager. Add to that thrill of reliving what you've already been forced to cram into your head once.

The human-turned-vampire couldn't get away from that place fast enough. A light jog and a few blocks later, the joy of life returned to him, albeit slowly. He clutched the bag with one hand while the other slipped into his pocket; his mind was far too busy searching for his resident vampire stalker to let another micro-second drift by dedicated to algebraic equations.

Sure enough, he picked up her trail. Jumping and running, running and jumping, who knew Humanity had unwittingly created an obstacle course able to keep a monster entertained on their own rooftops? He glanced up, flashed a grin, and then went on his merry way, leaving Akua to follow the trail of dormant energy he left in his wake like a metaphorical breadcrumb trail.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a third figure was watching from the sidelines. It did its best to avoid any contact with the locals with admirable results. This figure, however, never was granted the luxury of approaching either vampires; a tranquil bus driver sitting on one of the benches spotted Gyokuro Shuzen before she could slip past him. The glowing eyes and shit-eating grin were an unwelcome sight for the blonde vampire.

"Don't tell me you're trying to avoid me?" The Bus Driver laughed as he pulled out a fresh cigar from his front pocket.

He lightened, drew a puff and pointed at the seat next to him. Ever the compliant and dignified noblewoman –or so she acted as to prevent a lengthy and quite possibly lethal battle with her old friend- , she accepted the nonverbal invitation with gusto. "Perish the thought," the matron responded amicably as she sat. Her demeanor was gentle but the stiffness in her muscles were visible proof of her displeasure at the unexpected company.

"It's been a while, Gyokuro. How's Issa doing? Locked up in one of your dungeons yet?"

"Playing the comedian was never your forte, Nurari," said Gyokuro in the sweetest tone she could marshal up under present circumstances.

"Comedian?" The Bus Driver huffed. "I was only trying to make small talk. But since that isn't going to happen, I'll get straight down to business: the boy is off limits."

"Really? You do understand that I can't stop meddling just because you asked nicely, right? What would people think?" She mocked with feigned mortification.

"I'm not asking you to back away pro bono; I have something that's more than worth the price."

"Oh? Don't leave me in suspense."

"It's information-"

"About the pompous little fop that's been going behind my back and trying to wrestle control from underneath my feet," she interjected before the Bus Driver had a chance to finish his own sentence.

The Bus Driver's features softened as he cackled. Gyokuro must be concerned by the new upstart if she kept such close tabs on her own people; she must've been nervous about not knowing his name. He responded with a barely noticeable nod and took another puff from his freshly lit cigar; he could see the Shuzen matron's want for the information he possessed. This was too good for him to ignore.

"I'll throw in a bonus. That kid you've been hunting down is the one who'll put our mutual friend in the ground, if you play your cards right, that is."

"Such a generous proposition," Gyokuro idly commented as a stray blossom caught her gaze. It captivated her to see it dance and glide simultaneously even as it plunged to its withering death, "what are you hiding?"

"The guy you've been hunting is bad news. Very bad news. If you want to live long enough to see your youngest graduate, you'll stop poking while you still have all your fingers."

"Is that a threat?"

It sounded like a veiled challenge and the Bus Driver was well-aware that a vampire's wounded pride would never let them back down after having the gauntlet tossed at their feet.

"No, a warning from one friend to another. You're out of your depth."

As much as her blood boiled in her veins, as demanded as was her pride to prove the inferior monster wrong, she kept her candid composure and continued with her line of questioning. Though, in all fairness, the words did start to sting. "And that boy –Tsukune Aono, was it- isn't?"

"Yup," the ominous figure answered nonchalantly.

The matron sighed. A name would have been pleasing; but if this rat was half as powerful as Nurari inferred, she would be more than happy to let the Academy deal with it themselves. After all, what was the point of exerting effort if others willingly flung themselves in danger's way first? Yokai would have a hard time recovering, the mole would be purged and her own position wouldn't be weakened in the slightest. A win on all counts, by her estimates.

Their tense conversation concluded. The head of Fairy Tale wasted no time before leaving this wretched town. The more time she spent around humans, the more she was reminded of Akasha and her unbearable penchant for taking what was not hers. She vaguely wondered if this new beau of Akua's colluded with that bitch's daughter. It was more than likely; the human-turned-vampire background, the subservient attitude of assimilating into human society, it all screamed of one more project Akasha would have loved to have been involved in. Even the aura he sensed slumbering within that seemingly frail body reeked of her.

He would leave Tsukune Aono be for now. However, the minute he stops being of use to her will be the minute she forcefully conscripts him into using his abilities to do something a little more worthwhile than providing that sad excuse for a school one more body to use as cannon fodder in their idiotic pursuit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tsukune grew worried. Looking up at the row of suburban houses that lined up on either side of the street in an identical fashion, he couldn't pinpoint any spot where the elusive assassin was likely to hide. Her energy had evaporated at some point during the playful game of cat and mouse; what could have spooked her so?

As he came into view of his home and looked up at the second-floor window that gave into his window, he could see a few locks of pink hair and the edge of the emblazoned school uniform spill out into view from the corner: Moka was in his house, in his room, and he'd completely forgotten about the impromptu visit his friends had all scheduled today.

He rushed in and found his bewildered mother brewing tea with a shaky hand. Realizing her son had come home, she pealed herself away from the pots and welcome him home with an equally shaky tone. "There's a very pretty girl who said she knew you?" It was half disbelief, half accusation that he perceived in his mother's tone.

"Yeah, she's a friend from school, Mom."

'Tsukune, you didn't..."

"No, I swear! It's nothing like that!"

With Kasumi's worries soothed somewhat. He took the tray in his own hands and made his way upstairs. He groaned; how was he going to explain this to Akua? He could picture the assassin practicing her knife-hand technique as she waited for her beloved sister to leave his home. He would have to play out the exact same events as last time with the added benefit of looking forward to talking his way out of his execution at the hand of the Fairy Tale agent. It was not going to be a pretty sight.

He grasped the handled to his door and exhaled. One more round of encouragement and he was past the threshold, greeted by the smiling face of the pink haired vampire just as the succubus hiding in his bed roused herself from her nap.


End file.
